HIV, which stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus that is spread through certain bodily fluids. These include semen, blood, rectal fluids, pre-seminal fluids, vaginal fluids, and finally breast milk. It is very common for it be transmitted when people share needles, practice unprotected sex, from contamination in blood transfusion and from mother to child during the process of pregnancy, birth of the baby and breastfeeding. It then travels a person's blood stream and attacks their immune system to weaken it. HIV is never transmitted through liquids like tears, saliva or sweat as long as it is not mixed with blood of an HIV-positive person. It can also not be transmitted by hugging, sharing a toilet, or even touching someone who has HIV. Contrary to what many once believed, none of these are ways to contract HIV.

43% of all new HIV infections reported are diagnosed in women. Signs and symptoms for women often present and appear as other health issues, so many women do not receive HIV care as quickly as they should to fight the infection.

Acute HIV Infection Stage

In the early stages of HIV, a week or two after being infected, 50 to 80% of those infected experience what many refer to as flu like symptoms.

These symptoms include:

• fever
• sore throat
• headaches
• body rash

Some women may also experience:

• nausea
• fatigue
• vomitting
• vaginal yeast infections
• abnormal pap smear results
• pelvic inflammatory disease
• unusual menstrual cycles
• aches or pains in their muscles

Clinical Latency (HIV Inactivity/Dormancy)

At the next stage, HIV can still be actively transmitted, but symptoms will often be less noticeable, if they even appear at all. Without medication, this stage can last for many, many years. Without medication to treat it at this stage, a person with HIV will slowly have their CD4 cell count go down, causing symptoms to return, which often leads them right into the next stage.

AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome)

This next stage is AIDS, which leaves a person with a severely damaged immune system that is unable to fight off any type of infection in the way that a healthy person's immune system is able to. Without treatment, those with AIDS often survive less than three years.

Top 5 Routes for "HIV Symptoms In Women"

1. CDC This website discusses what HIV is, how it came about, and goes into slight detail on each of the stages and how to manage HIV symptoms with treatment. This website also lists several contact routes for those who believe they have been infected with HIV as a means of getting local help or counseling.
2. STD Check This website talks about all of the symptoms women may experience. It also shares information directly related to women and HIV, such as the number of infected women yearly compared to previous years.
3. Dr. Ed This website talks about the psychological symptoms women with HIV may experience. It also shares how to get tested for HIV and the process that is involved with doing such.
4. WebMD This website shares symptoms, discusses what women who are diagnosed with HIV go through, and offers support as to what steps to take once being diagnosed. It shares separate articles related to HIV and how to safely share details with those who need to know.
5. Live Strong This website shares each possible symptom in detail and discusses how they each affect someone with HIV. It also promotes early testing as a preventative tool against HIV infections.