Does Period Blood Have Hiv

What Else Can Cause Menstrual Problems

• Pelvic inflammatory disease : Untreated infections in your vagina or cervix can sometimes lead to heavy bleeding, bleeding between periods, or bleeding after sex. This type of bleeding may signal a complication like PID, which can threaten your health and ability to get pregnant.
• Cervical dysplasia or cervical cancer: Bleeding after having vaginal sex or bleeding between periods may be signs of cervical dysplasia or cervical cancer. Cervical dysplasia refers to abnormal cells that can become cancerous therefore these cells are often called pre-cancerous.

Cervical cancer takes years to develop. Often women who have cervical cancer – and who have not had a Pap test, VIA test , or DNA test looking for cervical cancer – do not know they have it until it is quite advanced. This is why getting a test done regularly is so important.

• Street drugs: Using recreational or street drugs can lead to missed periods or periods that stop altogether. Drug use can also lead to stress, poor nutrition, and severe weight loss, all of which can cause missed periods. Street drugs that may cause menstrual changes include:

• Heroin
• Cocaine

British Columbia Specific Information

Human Immunodeficiency Virus causes an infection that damages the immune system. The immune system is the part of the body that fights infection and disease. If untreated, HIV infection will lead to a serious disease called Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome .

For information on HIV infection and care in British Columbia, visit BC Centre for Disease Control and BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. For information on HIV drug coverage in B.C., please visit the Ministry of Health BC PharmaCare website.

In B.C. HIV testing guidelines recommend that everyone have an HIV test at least every 5 years. They recommend more frequent testing for people who belong to populations that have a greater chance of having HIV, are pregnant, experience a change in their health that suggests HIV, or if someone requests a test. For information on HIV testing, see HealthLinkBC File #08m HIV and HIV Tests and HealthLinkBC File #38a HIV Testing in Pregnancy.

Does Contraception Increase Womens Risk Of Hiv

Observational research studies in the past had suggested a possible increased risk of HIV for women using progestogen-only injectable contraception, such as DMPA intra-muscular injection, also known as Depo-Provera. A recent large study with a more reliable methodology, conducted in four African countries, however found no significant difference in risk of HIV infection among women using hormonal or non-hormonal long-acting reversible contraceptive methods .

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Viral Load & Medications

If someone has HIV, this does not mean that they are restricted to celibacy. Many people with HIV still continue to have safe, enjoyable sex lives without spreading the virus. Always using a condom or barrier method is an important first step to prevent the sharing of HIV containing fluids.

Antiretroviral therapy : Another way to help decrease the risk of spreading HIV is to lower a personâs viral loadâthe amount of HIV in a personâs blood. Viral loads can be lowered using medications called antiretroviral therapy . These medications can lower the HIV viral load so much that HIV may not even be detectable on a blood testâthis is called an undetectable viral load . When a person’s viral load in undetectable, they have effectively no risk of transmitting the HIV virus to a non-infected partner . Taking these medication will help keep a person with HIV healthy while also helping prevent the spread of HIV to another person. This is not a cure, however. If medication is taken incorrectly or stopped, HIV viral loads will increase again and transmission can occur. Condoms and other barrier methods should still always be used during sex .

Wonderful Uses Of Period Blood

40 WONDERFUL USES OF PERIOD BLOOD

1. Add to lacquer and use as nail polish

2. Add to Vaseline and use as lipstick

3. Feed plants

5. Decorate old jeans for the destroy look

6. Put into unmarked vials and send as a gift to major world leaders

7. Mark your territory on furniture, mattresses, public transportation

8. Scare your coworkers or the children you babysit

9. Make Bloody Marys

10. Make Gin and Tonics

11. Feed pets

12. Sign your letters in blood

13. Write in your journal in blood

14. Put some on your hand before high-fiving someone

15. Pour into tub and treat yourself to a blood bath

16. Get kinky somehow

20. Use in performance art

21. Use in visual art

22. Gargle before using in opera-art

23. Dye lampshades for atmosphere

24. Tint unvarnished wooden furniture

25. Freeze into ice cubes

26. Store some in the fridge in case your roommates need it

27. Hide it in your armpits, in your hair line, and under your breasts to make

people think you sweat blood

28. Make jello for grandparents or jello shots for friends

29. Have a themed party where everyone has to touch it

30. Bring to uncomfortable events as an escape plan

31. Fake a bloody nose to take a 20 minute break from work

32. Bring to the apple store so you can decorate while you wait for a friendly

employee

33. Bring to the bio store to try to get discounts on large jars of coconut oil and

almond butter

34. Bring to a beginner ballet class to put in your slippers so you can pretend you

are really hardcore

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How Long Do I Need To Wait Before I Test

Thereâs a window period between exposure to HIV and a positive test because it takes time for your body to either build a response to the infection or for the virus to replicate enough for a test to detect it. HIV window periods can vary.

For example, if you have unprotected sex on a Friday night, and get an HIV test Monday morning, the test wonât be able to detect HIV or an immune response to HIV yet. There hasnât been enough time for a positive result, even if the virus is in your body.

To get the earliest, most accurate result, first consider when you were exposed and whether youâre showing symptoms.

• If you know exactly when you may have come into contact with the virus, take a test 3 months after that date. Tests 3 months after exposure should be 99% accurate.
• If you are having symptoms of HIV, see your doctor right away. Your doctor may want to use a test that can look for the virus directly in your body.

Is There Any Treatment Of A Cure For Hiv/aids

Currently, there is no cure for HIV/AIDS. People living with HIV will need lifelong treatment. The best treatments right now are combinations of prescription drugs. These medications include antiviral treatment, protease inhibitors and other drugs that help people who are living with HIV stay healthy. People living with HIV also can stay healthy by doing things like eating properly, exercising and getting enough sleep.

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What Is The Difference Between Hiv And Aids

The term AIDS refers to the most advanced stages of HIV infection. Most of the conditions affecting people with AIDS are opportunistic infections that generally do not affect healthy people. In people with AIDS, these infections are often severe and sometimes fatal because the immune system is so ravaged by HIV that the body cannot fight off the infection. Symptoms of opportunistic infections common in people with AIDS include:

• coughing and shortness of breath
• seizures and lack of coordination
• difficult or painful swallowing
• severe headaches
• coma

People with AIDS also are particularly prone to developing various cancers. These cancers are usually more aggressive and difficult to treat in people with AIDS.

Other Causes Of Menstrual Problems

You may have menstrual problems that are not related to HIV. In fact, many women face common menstrual problems regardless of their HIV status.

Common causes of menstrual problems include:

• Taking certain drugs, including over-the-counter, street, and prescription drugs

• Sudden weight loss

• Non-cancerous growths such as and

• Genital cancers, including ovarian, uterine, and

• Thyroid problems

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Hiv Is Detected With A Blood Test

Blood tests are the most common and reliable tests for HIV. The virus is detected by taking a sample of your blood either with a conventional blood test or a rapid test .There is a short period of time between exposure to HIV and the ability for tests to detect HIV or its antibodies. This is often referred to as the ‘window period’ between 2 and 12 weeks.

Most tests used in Australia can detect HIV as early as 2 to 4 weeks after infection.

If your blood test shows that HIV or its antibodies are present, you are HIV-positive.

If you have no antibodies in your blood you are HIV-negative. Sometimes negative results might also mean you are in the window period, so you might need a follow-up blood test to make sure.

Common Misconceptions About The Human Female Reproductive Tract

A series of observations from the 1960s to the present clearly defined the changing pattern of sex hormones in blood over the menstrual cycle and the consequences of these hormonal effects throughout the FRT. Under the influence of the hypothalamicpituitary axis , estradiol levels, which are low during the first half of the menstrual cycle rise and peak 23 days before ovulation. After ovulation estradiol levels transiently decline and then increase along with progesterone for 710 days , after which both decline to initiate menstruation. These hormonal changes prepare the vagina and cervix to optimize sperm survival and migration to the Fallopian tube where fertilization occurs. Hormones regulate the movement of the ovum into the Fallopian tube, the provision of nutrients for cell division, and retention of the fertilized egg at this site for 34 days. In the uterus, estradiol and progesterone prepare this site for implantation by providing an adequate vascular supply and nutrients both prior to and following implantation and successful pregnancy. Along with the reproductive functions, the sex hormones regulate the immune system in the FRT to protect against pathogens without rejecting sperm, zygote, and blastocyst.

Relative changes in levels of estradiol and progesterone during the proliferative and secretory stages of the menstrual cycle

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The Need To Understand The Interplay Between The Immune And Endocrine Systems In The Human Female Reproductive Tract

Despite unprecedented efforts by scientists worldwide, the solution to the ever-growing HIV/AIDS crisis remains elusive. HIV/AIDS is unique in modern human history in its rapid spread, its extent, and the depth of its impact. Since the first AIDS case was diagnosed in 1981, the world has struggled to come to grips with its extraordinary toll. Approaching 25 million deaths worldwide with an additional 33.2 million estimated to be infected worldwide, HIV/AIDS will soon be the worlds worst pandemic .

With the recent failures of the Diaphragm trial, the Merck vaccine trial, and the Microbicide gel trial along with recognition that for each person treated with antiretrovirals, six are newly infected with HIV , it remains unclear when safe and effective protection will become available. The failure of apparently promising approaches highlights the urgency to better understand how to prevent HIV transmission in women. Women are approximately twice as likely to contract HIV infection from men as men are from women during vaginal intercourse . Each year brings an increase in the percentage of women infected with HIV. In particular, women and girls make up about 57% of all people infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, where a striking 76% of those with HIV in the 1524 year age group are female . In the United States, the proportion of AIDS cases reported among women increased from 7% in 1985 to 28% in 2005 .

How Can You Get Hiv

HIV is found in the following bodily fluids of someone living with the virus:

• blood
• vaginal fluids
• breastmilk.

For you to get HIV, these bodily fluids need to get into your blood through a mucous membrane , via shared injecting equipment, or through broken skin .

There is not enough HIV virus in other bodily fluids, like saliva, sweat or urine, to transmit it from one person to another.

Someone living with HIV who has an undetectable viral load, meaning effective treatment has lowered the amount of virus in their blood to levels where it cannot be detected by a normal blood test, cannot pass on HIV.

A person living with HIV with a detectable viral load can pass the virus to others whether they have symptoms or not.

HIV is most infectious in the first few weeks after infection. At this time many people are unaware of their status.

The main ways you can get HIV are:

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Risks When Using Drugs

Sharing needles when using drugs carries a very high risk of infection. In this way, HIV can enter the bloodstream directly. The virus can survive for several days in traces of blood inside the syringe. In addition, it is very easy to become infected with hepatitis by sharing needles and other devices.

Safer use offers very good protection from HIV when using drugs.

Some Practices Dont Reduce Your Risk Of Hiv

Some people use unreliable methods to reduce their risk of HIV. These include:

• Serosorting choosing your sexual partner based upon them having the same HIV status as you.
• Strategic positioning where an HIV-negative partner penetrates an HIV-positive partner.
• Withdrawal when the insertive partner pulls out before ejaculating .

None of these strategies are reliable, so you are at risk of HIV transmission.Having sex only with people who have the same HIV status can be very risky. For example, a person may think they are HIV-negative, but may have been exposed to HIV since their last test, or may never have been tested at all.

Using a combination of proven, reliable strategies like condoms, PrEP, and undetectable viral load is the best way to prevent HIV transmission.

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Welcome To Do I Have Hiv

Welcome to the “Do I Have HIV?” POZ forum.

This special section of the POZ forum is for individuals who have concerns about whether or not they are HIV positive. Individuals are permitted to post up to three questions or responses in this forum.

Ongoing participation in the “Do I Have HIV?” forum requires a paid subscription, with secure payments made via PayPal.

A seven-day subscription is $9.99, a 30-day subscription is $14.99 and a 90-day subscription is $24.99.

Anyone who needs to post more than three messages in the “Do I Have HIV?” forum — including past, present and future POZ Forums members — will need to subscribe, with secure payments made via PayPal.

There is no charge to read threads in the “Do I Have HIV?” forum, nor will there be a charge for participating in any of the other POZ forums. In addition, the POZ Basics “HIV Transmission and Risks” and “HIV Testing” basics, will remain accessible to all.

NOTE: HIV testing questions will still need to be posted in the “Do I Have HIV?” forum attempts to post HIV symptoms or testing questions in any other forums will be considered violations of our rules of membership and subject to time-outs and permanent bans.

To learn how to upgrade your Forums account to participate beyond three posts in the “Do I Have HIV?” Forum, please .

Thank you for your understanding and future support of the best online support service for people living with, affected by and at risk for HIV.

How Do I Protect Myself From Hiv

There are a number of ways you can protect yourself from HIV, including:

• using a condom every time you have vaginal, anal or oral sex
• in some countries PrEP is available. This is a course of HIV drugs which if taken consistently as advised by your healthcare professional prevents HIV infection through sex
• avoiding sharing needles, syringes and other injecting equipment
• taking HIV treatment if you are a new or expectant mother living with HIV, as this will dramatically reduce the risk of passing HIV to your baby during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding
• asking your healthcare professional if the blood product you are receiving has been tested for HIV
• taking precautions if you are a healthcare worker, such as wearing protection , washing hands after contact with blood and other bodily fluids, and safely disposing of sharp equipment
• if you think you have been exposed to HIV you may be able to access PEP, a 4-week course of ARV drugs taken after possible HIV exposure to prevent HIV infection. You must start PEP within 72 hours of possible exposure to be effective.

For more detailed information on how to prevent HIV infection visit the relevant page from the listed below:

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Hiv Testing Outside Of A Health Care Setting Or Lab

If you are tested outside of a health care setting or lab you will likely receive a rapid HIV test

• If the test comes back negative, and you havent had a possible exposure during the previous 3 months, you can be confident you dont have HIV.
• If your test result is positive, you should go to a health care provider to get follow-up testing. Counselors providing the test should be able to answer questions and provide referrals for follow-up testing as well. You can use the HIV.gov locator to find a provider near you.