These are alarming statistics. Closer to home, it is estimated that there are between 107,000 and 150,000 women infected with HIV in the U.S., mostly infected by heterosexual exposure or through injection drug use. In many cities and states, HIV infection is the leading cause of death for women 25 to 44 years old, AIDS being the six most common cause of death for white women in that same age group and the leading cause of death among African-American women in that age group since the beginning of the 1990s. Although the incidence of infection has declined in white males, rates in women continue to increase, with the greatest rise in African-American women, whose rates are almost equal to the infection rates in white males. The course of HIV disease in women does not differ significantly from that of men.
Women are equally responsive to anti-viral therapy as men.
Pap smears should be done biannually if the woman has a history of HPV, abnormal or suspicious Pap smears, or symptomatic HIV disease. Also, a Pap smear should be done three to six months after having inflammation or other cervical problems, or immediately if the Pap smear gives an unsatisfactory result. However, combination therapy has been shown to be far superior to monotherapy for the treatment of HIV, but there are no tested guidelines for the use of combination therapy during pregnancy. These recommendations were reached under the belief that therapies of known benefit to women should not be withheld during pregnancy unless there are known adverse effects on the mother, the fetus or infant that outweigh the potential benefit to the woman. The manifestations of HIV in women are poorly understood, particularly concerning pregnancy.