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

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, or 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