Anyone who has experienced HIV/AIDS knows how challenging the condition can be, but women are particularly affected. Women experience the HIV/AIDS threat entirely differently than men do, given their position in society and biological vulnerabilities.
Compared to men, women are more likely to transmit heterosexually. In fact, women are up to twice as likely as men to contract the disease when having sex without protection. Despite widespread misconceptions to the contrary, any woman can be HIV-exposed. Women don’t bother getting tested regularly because gynecologists and women’s magazines largely ignore HIV. In reality, the majority of women find out they have HIV by chance during a routine test required for a new job or insurance policy.
The physical effects of the disease have a different effect on women. The effectiveness of HIV/AIDS medications varies little, but the side effects of those medications and the virus itself can vary greatly. Women are more likely than men to experience thinning legs and an increase in waist fat. According to research, a woman will initially have less HIV in her blood than a man, but she will lose more immune cells and progress to AIDS more quickly. As a result of the HIV medications, women are also more likely to develop liver issues and skin rashes. It is crucial that women who are susceptible to contracting HIV are tested frequently for this reason. It is more likely that the disease will advance quickly the longer a person is infected before receiving treatment.
The belief that pregnant women with HIV/AIDS cannot transmit the disease to their offspring is common. Two ways—during childbirth and breastfeed—can pass the virus to a child. If an HIV-positive mother does not take precautions to lessen her child’s risk of contracting the virus, the child has a one in five chance of becoming ill. The likelihood that a child will contract HIV decreases to one to two percent for mothers who follow the right procedures, which include taking HIV medications, having a Cesarean section, and feeding formula rather than breast milk. Neveraprine, a medication used during childbirth, is frequently prescribed by doctors. It is well-liked in Africa and quite effective at halting infection transmission. There is no justification for an HIV-positive woman to think that her chances of becoming a mother are gone. The majority of women can continue their medication regimens throughout pregnancy, and being HIV positive does not make a woman sicker during pregnancy.
Since the illness first appeared in the US, the stigma associated with HIV has not changed. Depending on the gender, this stigma may have different connotations. The concern a woman has for her own social isolation frequently takes a backseat to worries about her child’s social isolation. Women living with HIV/AIDS not only have to fight negative stereotypes about themselves, but they also have to consider how those stereotypes might affect their offspring.
HIV infection is also more likely to affect older women. Many of these women have experienced menopause and are not concerned about using safe sex to prevent getting pregnant. Because it was not a core subject in their academic program, older women may also be less informed about how HIV spreads. These women frequently confuse the telltale signs of HIV with those of normal aging.
Living in sub-Saharan Africa puts women in another group at the greatest risk for contracting HIV. In the 1980s, the proportion of infected women to men was roughly equal. Infection rates among women have significantly surpassed those among men in the present. About three-quarters of women with HIV reside in sub-Saharan Africa, according to UNAIDS, the United Nations program on AIDS. The fight against the disease must be aided by women everywhere. More than ever, these women need our assistance.
One of the best ways to address this issue is by raising AIDS awareness. Women require support from individuals who will uphold and defend their rights, spread knowledge and awareness throughout the globe, and promote the creation of innovative preventative technologies. The AIDS epidemic will continue to affect women until more of them learn how to protect themselves.
