Treatment for Women

Treatment for Women

In the US, fewer women than men are getting HIV treatment. This may be partly due to suspicion about the health care system and discrimination against people with HIV. Women with HIV should be treated by health care providers with experience treating women with HIV.

• Women with HIV get vaginal infections, genital ulcers, pelvic inflammatory disease, and genital warts more often and more severely than uninfected women.
• Women get thrush (a yeast infection, see Fact Sheet 501) in their throats and herpes (see Fact Sheet 508) about 30% more often than men.
• Women are much more likely than men to get a severe rash when using nevirapine (see Fact Sheet 431).
• Women with fat redistribution (see Fact Sheet 553 on lipodystrophy) are more likely than men to accumulate fat in the abdomen or breast areas and are less likely to lose fat in the arms or legs.
• Abnormal pre-cancerous cell types related to cervical cancer are more frequent and severe in women who are HIV-positive. See Fact Sheet 510 for more information.