HIV Symptoms in Women

HIV is a type of virus that attacks and weakens the immune cells of its victim. If left unattended, it can develop to AIDS. HIV is normally found within the blood and to other forms of bodily fluid such as vaginal fluids and semen. The virus cannot survive for that long outside ones body, thus to be transmitted with HIV one will need to have the infected persons body fluid inside his/her body. It can enter through inside the body by means of contact within the bloodstream or through the delicate types of mucous membranes, like the inside of the rectum, urethra or vagina.

The initial signs of HIV vary in both males and females. Most of the time, the males will experience fever and mild to moderate periodic headaches. These kinds of headaches do not differ much from the headaches we normally experience in our daily lives. A man may start to observe some inflammation or swelling in a number of lymph glands in his body. A gland in his groin, neck or armpit will begin to swell and become firm and raised. This swelling does not normally bring any type of discomfort or pain to the gland and could be mistaken with other types of conditions.

HIV symptoms in men can also display dramatic changes in their stamina or energy level. They may experience unexplainable fatigue or tiredness. Physical exercise can have a different effect on them and could be mistaken as a result of stress from work.

Historically, more men are infected with HIV than women yet more women today are accounted for the new HIV cases and may catch up or even surpass the men in the near future. AIDS is just a few cases behind heart disease and cancer as the main killer conditions of women. The hardest hit of the infection are the African-American women. Women of the younger generation are the ones more prone to the infection as compared to their older counterparts. It usually takes years before HIV symptoms in women would start manifesting.

The infected females usually encounter persistent vaginal infections, in which include yeast infections. Abnormal pap smears and pelvic inflammatory disease are also common HIV symptoms in women. It could also include ulcers or genital warts.

Infected women may also start to feel some abnormalities in their menstrual cycles. It can start from a series of missed periods and could develop to having no periods in the long run. A couple of weeks after infection most women will start to experience flu-like symptoms that involves sore throat, body aches, fever and fatigue. These symptoms are a result of the body struggling to fight off the virus that attacks the cells. They may also start to lose weight rapidly due to frequent diarrhea and loss of appetite.

Once you begin noticing these symptoms, the wise thing to do is to immediately contact a medical professional and ask to be tested. Getting tested for HIV can be a scary thing to do, yet do not worry that much cause a lot of HIV testing clinics offer fast, reliable and highly confidential tests. Getting tested is crucial not only for ones health but for others as well who are going to be susceptible of getting infected without you knowing it.

HIV Symptoms in Men and Women - their symptoms greatly vary, so one should be aware of it. Learn more about the disease now and have yourself protected.

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