The early symptoms of HIV in women

The early symptoms of HIV in women can be easily identified by the increased susceptibility to infections like yeast infection, vaginal infection, bacterial vaginosis, burning, itching and dryness in vagina. The chances of other sexually transmitted diseases also increase like gonorrhea, chlamydia, HPV (Human papillomavirus). The infected woman may find urinating as well as the sexual intercourse extremely painful. There may be notable changes in the menstrual cycle heavy bleeding, bleeding between the cycle or no bleeding at all. Apart from these early HIV symptoms in women, the other symptoms that manifest a little later are:

• Chronic muscle and joint pain
• Tiredness and constant fatigue
• Persistent infections
• Pelvic Inflammatory Diseases
• Weight loss
• Frequent fever
• Night sweats
• Genital ulcers
• Vaginal yeast infection
• Flaky skin
• Blurred vision
• Short term memory loss
• Confusion
• Enlarged glands
• Coma

The virus weakens the immune system and the condition manifests into AIDS that is an incurable stage. It has been found that the virus may remain dormant in the infected body for as long as 7-10 years or it may start showing infection signs within a few months of infection. This is majorly dependent on the health of the infected person, resistance provided by the immune system and the lifestyle that one follows.

Knowing the early symptoms of HIV infection helps in early diagnosis and that in turn increases the life expectancy. Therapies and treatments for the HIV related infections can be more effective if the condition is detected early. Women, in general, neglect their health and it has been found that most women get diagnosed in later stages when the health care and treatments become less effective. Apart from that, knowing about early symptoms of HIV in women helps to prevent the spread of infection, and also start the much needed treatment.