Women of all ages can become infected with HIV, including women over 50.
- One in four people living with HIV in the United States is a woman
- More than every second new HIV diagnosis affects people over 50
Older women are more likely to be diagnosed with this disease in later stages than younger women, perhaps because they do not know they are at risk.
A diagnosis in later stages increases the risk of HIV-related illness and death from the disease
What influence does menopause have on the risk of HIV?
Women Over 50 Are Still Having Sex In a recent study, one in two people over 50 said they had had sex in the previous week. Because pregnancy is no longer a problem for postmenopausal women, they may not think about safe sex or talk about it with their partners or healthcare professionals.
This means that postmenopausal women may be less likely to use condoms to protect themselves from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. However, perimenopausal and postmenopausal women may be at higher risk of becoming infected with HIV. Hormonal changes can cause the vagina to become tighter and drier, making the vaginal tissue susceptible to tears and increasing the risk of HIV entering the body during sex.
Some older women (and their healthcare providers) attribute health changes to menopause, even though they could be caused by something else.
Night sweats, for example, are a classic symptom of menopause, but are also common in people with HIV.
HIV prevention during menopause and beyond
No age is too old to protect yourself from HIV. Start with these proactive steps:
- Use condoms if you don’t know whether your partner has HIV or not
- Get tested for HIV
- Talk to your doctor about PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a medication that can prevent HIV.
This educational resource was created with support from Merck.