The symptoms of people living with HIV (HIV) are basically the same for men and women, but some symptoms vary from person to person.
In the early stages of HIV infection, around weeks 2-4, people feel like they have the flu, which is a sign that the body is responding to the HIV virus. These symptoms may persist for several weeks.
New infections will show symptoms such as:
chills;
Fatigue;
Fever;
Genital sores;
Oral ulcers;
muscle pain;
Night sweats;
Rash;
A sore throat;
Enlarged lymph nodes.
However, some people do not have symptoms of early HIV infection. Regardless, if you think you may have HIV, you should get tested right away.
Another reason to get tested for HIV as early as possible is that the patient may infect others during this time. Determining HIV infection is important for a patient’s health and allows patients to inform their sexual partners to get tested.
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Symptoms in women
Men and women have many similar warning symptoms, but some are more specific to women:
Period changes. Patients may bleed very little or a lot, not even have a period, or have very severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Stress or other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can cause these problems. The HIV virus affects the immune system, which in turn affects the patient’s hormonal levels, ultimately causing the symptoms described above.
Lower abdominal pain. This is one of the symptoms of an infection of the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes, collectively known as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This is the first red flag for HIV infection in women. Along with lower abdominal pain, PID can also cause:
abnormal vaginal discharge;
Fever;
Menstrual disorders;
Pain in married life;
Upper abdominal pain;
Vaginal Candida infection. Many HIV-infected women have the disease frequently, which may recur within a year. When a patient is infected with Candida, they may:
Vaginal vaginal discharge that is very thick and white;
Pain in married life;
Painful urination;
Vaginal burning or pain.
Infected men and women can get oral candidiasis, also known as thrush or oral candidiasis. It causes swelling and forms a thick white patch on the mouth, tongue and throat.
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Get tested if you think you have HIV
Having these symptoms does not mean you have HIV. There are many other diseases, like the flu, that cause some of the same symptoms.
The only way to know for sure is to get tested for HIV. So if you think you may have the virus, get tested whether you have symptoms or not.
If you think you may have been exposed to HIV in the past few days, it is important to see your doctor right away. A drug called post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) prevents patients from contracting HIV. However, it must be taken within 24 hours of contracting the virus, the sooner the better. Doctors will prescribe post-exposure prophylaxis to patients, requiring patients to take it 1-2 times a day for 28 days.
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What happens after the early stages of HIV?
After the first few weeks of flu-like symptoms, patients enter what doctors call a “clinical incubation period,” also known as an “asymptomatic infection” or “chronic infection.” As the HIV virus continues to replicate in the body, these symptoms do not get worse, but get better. Also, most people have no symptoms at this stage.
If a person is HIV-infected and takes antiretroviral drugs every day, they can stay in this phase for decades and live a normal life. Therefore, it is very important to get tested for HIV promptly and to seek treatment after infection. Treatment can also reduce the risk of a patient passing the virus to others.
If you have HIV, there are things you can do in addition to antiretroviral therapy to reduce your risk of passing HIV to others. For example, be honest about your situation with potential sexual partners, and use condoms correctly every time you have sex.
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