Women and HIV 

Every year, thousands of women are infected with HIV. Learn the facts. Teach the women 

in your family and community how to prevent and treat HIV. 

What Is HIV? 

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. A 

person with HIV is called HIV positive 

(HIV+). HIV makes it hard for your body to 

fight off sickness. 

How Do You Get HIV? 

HIV is spread through body fluids like 

blood, semen, or breast milk. 

You can get HIV when you: 

• Have sex with a person who is HIV+ and 

do not use a condom 

• Share needles or syringes (drug works) 

with someone who has HIV 

• Get blood from a person who has HIV. 

Now all donated blood is tested for HIV. 

You can’t get HIV from giving blood. 

Most women get HIV from having 

unprotected sex with men. Always use a 

condom every time you have sex. 

You can’t get HIV from shaking hands, 

kissing, or sharing household items like 

forks or glasses with someone who has 

HIV. 

How Do You Know If Someone 

Has HIV? 

The only way to know for sure is to get an 

HIV test. 

• You cannot tell who has HIV just by 

looking at them. Most people do not 

show any outward signs when they first 

get HIV. 

• A person can spread HIV even if he or 

she does not look sick. 

How Do You Get Tested For HIV? 

There are three basic types of HIV tests: 

• Blood – A small amount of blood is 

taken from your finger or arm. 

• Oral – Fluid is taken from the inside of 

your mouth. 

• Urine – A small cup of urine is used. 

Some HIV tests take 1-2 weeks to get 

results from a lab. Other tests called 

“rapid HIV tests” can give results in about 

20 minutes. 

You can get tested at places like a doctor’s 

office, mobile health van, or health fair. 

There are also home HIV tests that let you 

test yourself. 

FDA Office of Women’s Health • www.fda.gov/womens
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Women and HIV 

Continued 

What Is The “Window Period?” 

It may take a few weeks or months for HIV 

to show up on a test. This time is called 

the “window period.” 

• A person who was just infected with HIV

may not test positive even though they

have the virus.

• A person can give the virus to others

during the window period.

Is There A Cure For HIV? 

There is no cure for HIV. There are 

medicines that people with HIV can take 

to help stop the virus from building up in 

their body. 

• People with HIV may need to take 3 or

more drugs every day.

• Over time, you can get very sick if you do

not take your HIV medicines.

• People with HIV should not stop taking

their medicines without first talking to a

doctor.

FDA has also approved one medicine 

that some people can take to lower their 

chance of getting HIV. 

What Should Pregnant Women 

Know About HIV? 

A woman can pass HIV to her baby during 

pregnancy, labor, or delivery. A woman 

can also pass HIV to her baby during 

breastfeeding. 

• Women with HIV should talk to their

doctor before they get pregnant.

• Women with HIV can take medicine to

lower the chance of giving her baby HIV.

• Some HIV medicines should not be

taken during pregnancy because they

can cause birth defects.

To Learn More About HIV and AIDS 

Visit AIDS.gov 

To Find a Testing Site Near You 

Call 1-800-232-4636
 

Text your zip code to KNOWIT (566948)
 

This fact sheet was developed by the FDA Office of Women’s Health. 

To get other women’s health resources, go to 

www.fda.gov/womens 

2017