Motherhood and the quality of life are among the aspects most relevant to women with HIV.

-as opposed to HIV-positive men, whose main concerns tend to be the transmission of the virus, how to live and work with HIV and sexuality

-pregnancy, one of the aspects in which more progress, it is one of the issues that most affects women with HIV childbearing age. While that early in the Decade of the nineties was recommended not offspring, there is the possibility of having children without little risk of transmission and side effects

-age taking care of the body and mind is one of the aspects that most concerns HIV-positive women in older age

-the neurocognitive abnormalities may be present in 30% – 50% of people with HIV

Madrid, 2011-December CESIDA (State Coordinating Committee of HIV/AIDS) and the Adhara Association, with the collaboration of Abbott presented the conclusions of recent sessions where hundreds of women with HIV across the country have gathered in the 4th edition of the EVhA days. It’s the only meeting in Spain made by and for HIV-positive women in which HIV experts have tried major medical, health and social aspects affecting women affected by the virus. Generally by difference of HIV-positive men, whose main concerns tend to be the transmission of the virus, how to live and work with HIV or sexuality, women worry more about aspects related to health, maternity, or the relationship with the environment, believe experts according to their experiences.

Hand in hand with the DRA. Piety Arazo, head of the unit of infectious diseases of the Hospital Miguel Servet, the psychologist Jose Antonio Muñoz-Moreno of the Fundació Lluita against the AIDS and the unity of HIV of the University Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, DRA. María José Fuster, Manager of SEISIDA (interdisciplinary Spanish society of AIDS), and Udiárraga Garcia Uribe, President of CESIDA, among others, have been dealt with topics such as the current context of women with HIV in Spain, emotional care and nutrition. also screened the documentary ‘ choose always face ’ of CESIDA, which collects testimony firsthand how living with HIV and lipodystrophy, among which the experiences of several HIV-positive women.

Women and HIV, current context

HIV/AIDS has evolved greatly in the past 30 years, today there is a large number of drugs that control the progression of the virus so the quality of life of people with HIV it is much better than years ago. However, the pending issue is the diagnosis early, for women it is estimated that about 33% are diagnosed when undergoing a routine survey during gestation.

One of the aspects in which most progress is the stage of pregnancy, precisely one that concerns most women with HIV in childbearing age. As he has pointed out the DRA. Piety Arazo at the beginning of the nineties is not recommended to offspring and has now appeared to have a family unless there is little risk of transmission to the fetus and without risk of side effects. Today there are antiretroviral treatments that have shown their efficacy and safety in pregnant HIV. More suitable in these cases is to see a doctor and ask about the most appropriate treatment options ”.

Another aspect that interests most HIV-positive women is aging caring for body and mind. Psychologist Jose Antonio Muñoz-Moreno has revealed that with the passing of the years women with HIV may have a different bias to show certain specific complications in HIV. This is being especially in bone, hormonal and neurological alterations. The latter are closely linked to the presence of the virus in the central nervous system and the ageing of the population with HIV ”.

Serious neurological alterations associated with HIV tend to handle effectively, however, in recent years has increased the number of considered alterations of lighter type that are usually present in 30% – 50% of people with HIV. They occur through changes in memory, learning or concentration. Despite not being serious, a large proportion of patients are associated with a worse quality of life. Strategies of prevention and/or assistance are currently under consideration to handle ” has indicated Jose Antonio Muñoz-Moreno.

As regards research, has pointed out the need to promote studies in women with HIV in the social dimension and the bio-medical, women presents differences in the absorption of drugs, in the presence of adverse effects and complications of the infection. also in social terms has specificities related to greater vulnerability. His psychological health tends to be worse, they are in a role of carers and there are problems of traditional gender roles hindering them to make appropriate health decisions ”, has annotated the DRA. María José Fuster.

Jornadas EVhA

Throughout the various editions of the EVhA conferences have addressed issues such as: quality of life, sexuality, stigma, mental health, lipodystrophy, the hepatitis C co-infection, etc. Each year in evaluating project asks the women participants by their topics of interest and is the program of the next year according to their contributions. In addition workshops which have a more experiential content, where we can work self-esteem, sexuality, body expression, the expression of emotions, etc.

More than 4 years ago we started this adventure Spanish NGOs, in collaboration with Abbott, with the common goal of creating a space of encounter organized by and for women. Perhaps one of the successes of these meetings has been to work together among concerned, leaders and working women in their local organizations, with female users who attend services and support resources. This has led to a very important and great gender perspective work peer ”, said Udiárraga Garcia Uribe, President of CESIDA.

The participants of the Conference recognized that to hear the experiences of others is a release and at the same time an enriching information tool which also helps to eliminate certain prejudices that weigh on these women and which had been created by the fear of rejection. A fear that, slowly, and with initiatives like this one, is less every day. The presentations of the experts who participated in the IV Jornadas EVhA are available here.

HIV in Spain

The data of the Ministry of health and consumption are reflected in the multisectoral Plan 2008-2012, estimates that in our country is currently between 120,000 and 150,000 people infected with HIV, and approximately 30% still ignores that it is. Approximately 1,360 people die with HIV as a cause. Each year there are between 2,500 and 3,500 new infections, the estimated prevalence is around three infections per thousand population, but rates are higher among men and in the urban residents.

In the most recent data of the Ministry of health and Consumer Affairs, almost 50% of new diagnoses are attributed to heterosexual transmission, transmission among men who have sex between men accounts for 25% and the parenteral about 20%. There is still a predominance of males, but infections attributed to heterosexual male/female ratio is close to unity.