The early signs and symptoms of HIV can be easily
mistaken to be something else since they are not that prominent. However,
ignoring these symptoms can turn out to be a major problem. It is for this
reason that one should keep a check on the health. Most of the people are often
embarrassed by the fact of getting affected by HIV, since it is believed sexual contact leads to HIV. Nonetheless, there are other prominent reasons by which
one can get affected by HIV such as getting injected by an infected needle.
Although sexual contact happens to be the most common reason, there may be
other reasons too. Compared to the men, women are more prone to the risk of
HIV. If you are sexually active and have had multiple sex partners, you should
consider the treatment.
The symptoms of HIV in women are usually
different from those of men. The common symptoms of HIV infection in women
include the following
Flu-like Symptoms
In the early weeks, not many may show their
prominent symptoms. Some people do not have outbreak of these symptoms for a
long time. Some of the prominent symptoms include fever, lack of energy, pain
in the body, headache and more. These are the initial symptoms which may break
out in the initial stage itself. However, if you wait for the severe symptoms
to appear, it may take more than 10 years.
Skin Rashes and Sores
Generally people suffering from HIV develop
rashes over the time. These are considered to be one of the common symptoms
related to HIV. It indicates the presence of an infection in the body. If you
notice any rash on your skin, you should prefer seeing a healthcare provider
who can analyse your medical history. They will be able to tell you whether you
need a complete diagnosis or not. These sores or lesions usually appear in the
mouths, anus and genitals. However, if these are less serious, it can be easily
treated with medications.
Swollen Glands
Lymph nodes are present in all the essential
parts of the body. Since it is one effective part of the immune system, the
lymph nodes will be attacked by the infections. These pathogens will tend to
harm the immune system of the body. When HIV begins to spread around the body,
they usually grow out to be the enlarged lymph nodes. These enlarged lymph
nodes are further referred to as swollen glands. The swollen glands are the
most effective signs that can last for months if you’re infected by HIV.
Fever and Night Sweats
People affected by HIV usually suffer from low
grade fever with the temperature ranging between 99.8ºF and 100.8ºF. Although the body will
develop this fever, the reason won’t be clear. Most of the people are unaware
of them being affected by HIV. Therefore, in cases like this they ignore such
mild fevers if they suffer from any. Most of the times, people may also suffer
from night sweats which is yet another major symptom.
Menstrual changes
Women
affected by HIV usually suffer changes in their menstruation routine. Either
they may have very light or heavy period or they may experience no symptom at
all. However, the premenstrual symptoms in such women is pretty severe.
Frequent outbreaks of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
People
who have been affected by sexually transmitted infections, prior to being
infected by HIV can have worsened conditions. Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the
reason for genital warts is pretty active in people tested HIV positive. Any women
who have been tested HIV positive will suffer frequent outbreaks of HPV
symptoms and even genital herpes. Moreover, the body will fail to respond to
the STI treatments too.
HIV is
transmitted from one person to another through the bodily fluids. As mentioned
above, it may happen due to sexual contact or through excessive drug abuse
through needle sharing. As precautions, the people should prefer not sharing
needles. Women having HIV positive partners may not develop the disease if the
partner is under proper medications.
