The gender gap has been widely reported in viral load counts too. It looks as if women may get sick at lower viral loads than men do. At a recent meeting on the topic in San Francisco, an international panel of experts agreed the issue warrants close attention. It's not all bad news, though. All the studies to date have been done in the absence of treatment.
More research is needed to figure out exactly what's going on.
Federal treatment guidelines aim to keep viral load down and T-cell levels up. But some people can be healthy with high viral loads and lots of T-cells, or sick with low viral loads. Tracking these numbers is important, but what counts even more is becoming an expert on your own ups and downs, rather than relying on official guidelines. A Pap smear is used to detect cervical cancer and is a standard part of a gynecological exam. Depending on what the doctor or lab technician sees, the cells may be classified as normal or abnormal.