What are the prevention challenges for women?What are the prevention challenges for women?What about transmission of HIV from mother to child?Lesbian Women: StatisticsWhat are the risk factors for Women who have sex with Women?What are the prevention challenges for Women who have Sex with Women?What can WSW do?
HIV and AIDS were originally thought to affect mostly gay men. However, women have always been affected, too. And even though more men than women have HIV, unfortunately, infections among women are on the rise.
In some respects HIV and AIDS affect women in almost the same way they affect men. For example, the greatest rates of infection occur among women of color (especially African American women). Younger women are more likely than older women to get HIV. The good news is that many women with HIV are living longer and stronger lives. With proper care and treatment, many women can continue to take care of themselves and others.
What are the prevention challenges for women?
WOMEN (ALL RACES)
404
33.2%
245
30.7%
5131
29.8%
White
55
4.4
31
3.9
753
4.4%
African American
333
26.6%
201
25.2%
4223
24.6%
Hispanic / Latino
14
1.1%
12
1.5%
113
0.7%
50+
64
5.1%
49
6.1%
974
5.7%
Women of color are especially impacted by the disease. HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death for African American women aged 25 to 34. The estimated rate of new HIV cases for black women was nearly 15 times that of white women and nearly four times that of Hispanic women.
You may not be aware of your male partner's risk factors for HIV infection. In order for you to best protect yourself, you need to know the risk behaviors of your partners and use a latex condom with lubricant.
When it comes to having safer sex, you may be more concerned about pregnancy prevention than HIV/STD prevention, and therefore less likely to use two methods of protection (such as the pill and condoms). Contraception methods such as implants, injectables, the pill or patch and sterilization do not protect against HIV and STDs.
Get educated! Educate yourself about the different ways that you can acquire HIV and then all the ways to protect yourself. Learn your status so that you can protect yourself and your partners. Teach those around you about how HIV can be transmitted and how you can protect yourself from infection. Work in your community to improve awareness. You and your partner should get tested for HIV and other STDs so that you are aware of each other's status before you have sex. If you are a pregnant woman, it is especially important that you get tested early to help ensure, that if you are HIV positive, you do not transmit the virus to your unborn child. Talk about HIV and other STDs with each partner before you have sex. Ask your partners if they have recently been tested for HIV; encourage those who have not been tested to do so. Use a latex condom and lubricant every time you have sex. Get tested for HIV once a year
The 411 on the Female Condom: Put a Ring on It!
| Alcohol & Drugs | Socioeconomic Issues (Poverty) | Incarceration Issues |
| Complacency | STDs and Vulnerability to HIV | If You Are Infected |
What about transmission of HIV from mother to child?
Transmission of HIV from mother to child can occur several ways - prenatally (in uterus), at birth (during labor) and after delivery from breast-feeding.
•· Transmission in uterus: This is uncommon, and occurs when the HIV positive mother's blood crosses the placenta and infects the baby.
Some situations can increase the risk of transmission in uterus, including:
•o The mother is diagnosed HIV positive during the early stages of pregnancy or right before becoming pregnant - The viral load is very high when someone is first diagnosed.
•o The mother is infected with an STD - Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Trichomoniasis can increase the HIV viral load.
•o "Placenta Previa" - An uncommon pregnancy complication that can cause excessive bleeding before or during delivery.
•· Transmission during labor: Because the mother's blood and secretions are in direct contact with the baby, transmission during labor presents the highest risk for a newborn to be infected with HIV.
•· Transmission during breast-feeding: HIV has been identified in breast milk.
.jpg)
•· How to reduce the risk of perinatal transmission:
•o Get tested for HIV to determine your status
•o Visit a healthcare provider to control and monitor your pregnancy
•o If you are HIV positive, let your doctor know your status
•o Talk with your healthcare provider about the best option between normal, vaginal birth and surgical birth, such as cesarean
•o Once your baby is born, be sure that your baby follows the treatment as well, and talk with your healthcare provider about alternatives to breast-feeding
Proper treatment of HIV plays a huge role in avoiding transmission of the disease from mother to child - a quarter of all children born to HIV+ mothers who have not been treated will become infected with HIV. Fortunately, perinatal HIV infection rates can drop to between 1- 2% for those children whose mothers receive treatment.
Resources for Pregnant Women:
AIDS and Pregnancy
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/aidsandpregnancy.html
HIV During Pregnancy, Labor and Delivery, and After Birth http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/contentfiles/Perinatal_FS_en.pdf
Louisiana HIV/AIDS Directory
http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/offices/providers.asp?ID=264
Louisiana HIV/AIDS Educational Material http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/offices/page.asp?id=264&detail=7850
| Alcohol & Drugs | Socioeconomic Issues (Poverty) | Incarceration Issues |
| Complacency | STDs and Vulnerability to HIV | If You Are Infected |
.jpg)
What are the risk factors for Women who have Sex with Women?
The following information is unpublished data from CDC.
Through December 2004, a total of 246,461 women were reported as HIV infected. Of these, 7,381 were reported to have had sex with women; however, most had other risk factors (such as injecting drugs, having sex with a man who is infected or who had risk factors for infection, or, more rarely, having received blood or blood products).
Of the 534 (of 7,381) women who were reported to have had sex only with women, 91% also had another risk factor-typically, injection drug use. HIV-infected women whose only initially reported risk factor is sex with women are given high priority for follow-up investigation. As of December 2004, none of these investigations had confirmed female-to female HIV transmission, either because other risk factors were later identified or because some women declined to be interviewed.
A study of more than 1 million female blood donors found no HIV-infected women whose only risk factor was sex with women. Despite the absence of confirmed cases of female-to-female transmission of HIV, the findings do not negate the possibility. Information on whether a woman had sex with women is missing in more than 60% of the 246,461 case reports-possibly because the physician did not ask or the woman did not volunteer the information.
Women who only have sex with women might think they are safe from HIV. But experts think it may be possible for a woman to get HIV through sexual contact with a woman infected with HIV. Experts think this could happen if soft tissues, such as in the mouth, come in contact with the vaginal fluid or menstrual blood of a woman infected with HIV. Women who have sex with women also can become infected with HIV through injection drug use or by having unprotected sex with a man who has HIV.
What are the prevention challenges for Women who have Sex with Women?
A woman who has sex with women should know her HIV status as well as her partner's status so that she can take steps to protect herself from HIV or prevent the spread of HIV to others. You can lower your risk of HIV by using condoms correctly and every time you have sex with men or when using sex toys. Dental dams - a square, thin piece of latex that can be placed over the anus or the vagina before oral sex - have not been studied, but might lower the risk of getting or spreading HIV.
Surveys of behavioral risk factors have been conducted in groups of women who have sex with women (WSW). These surveys generally have been of WSW samples that differ in criteria for participation, location for recruitment and definition of WSW. As a result, the findings of these surveys cannot be generalized to all WSW. The findings have, however, suggested that some WSW have other behavioral risk factors, such as injection drug use and unprotected vaginal sex with men who have sex with men (MSM) or men who inject drugs.
Potentially, HIV can be transmitted through the exposure of a mucous membrane (in the mouth, for example) - especially if the tissue is cut or torn - to vaginal secretions and menstrual blood. The potential for transmission is greater during early and late-stage HIV infection, when the amount of virus in the blood is expected to be highest.
Health care providers need to remember that sexual identity does not necessarily predict behavior and that some women who identify themselves as WSW or lesbian may be at risk for HIV infection through unprotected sex with men.
Condoms should be used consistently and correctly during every sexual contact with men or when using sex toys. Sex toys should not be shared. No barrier methods for use during oral sex have been evaluated as effective by the Food and Drug Administration. However, natural rubber latex sheets, dental dams, condoms that have been cut and spread open or plastic wrap may offer some protection from contact with body fluids during oral sex and thus may reduce the possibility of HIV transmission.
Although there are no confirmed cases of female-to-female transmission of HIV, female sexual contact should be considered a possible means of transmission among WSW.
Get educated! Educate yourself about the different ways that you can acquire HIV and then all the ways to protect yourself. Learn your status so that you can protect yourself and your partners. Teach those around you about how HIV can be transmitted and how you can protect yourself from infection. Work in your community to improve awareness. You and your partner should get tested for HIV and other STDs so that you are aware of each other's status before you have sex. If you are a pregnant woman, it is especially important that you get tested early to help ensure, that if you are HIV positive, you do not transmit the virus to your unborn child. Talk about HIV and other STDs with each partner before you have sex. Ask your partners if they have recently been tested for HIV; encourage those who have not been tested to do so. Use a latex condom and lubricant every time you have sex. Get tested for HIV once a year.
| Alcohol & Drugs | Socioeconomic Issues (Poverty) | Incarceration Issues |
| Complacency | STDs and Vulnerability to HIV | If You Are Infected |
