Background Recent statistics show that the number of American women with HIV and AIDS is doubling every one to two years. AIDS is the leading cause of death among women 25 to 44 years old in 13 cities and is also the fourth leading cause of death among women 25 to 44 years old nationwide. The number of women 20 to 29 years old who acquired HIV through sexual contact with men has increased by 96.7 percent since 1988. The majority were infected as adolescents or young adults. HIV Infection in women, which is caused primarily through sexual contact with infected males, is more easily transmitted from men to women because the surface area of the female genital tract is more exposed.
Women are also vulnerable to sexual assault and unwanted sexual behavior.
13 percent of adult women report having been raped. The National AIDS Behavioral Surveys show that only 25.5 percent of women with multiple partners always use condoms with their primary partner and that only 34.1 percent always use them with their secondary partners. Self Protection Women usually protect themselves from pregnancy by using methods that do not depend on partner cooperation. Likewise, they need to learn about female-controlled methods to protect themselves from HIV infection. Such methods include abstinence, female condoms, and dental dams.