What are the correlations between Menopause and HIV?

Women who are infected with the HIV virus are believed to have the tendency to experience an earlier onset of menopause, according to studies conducted by researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In addition to this more intense symptoms have been reported by some women. It is more difficult for HIV positive women to determine if the symptoms that they are experiencing are a result of menopause or from the HIV infection as they can be very close in composition.

Observation on longevity in women with HIV

Due to advances in medical technology, women with HIV have a much higher longevity rate that previously when the disease first made its debut in society. They are now surviving longer and enjoying an improvement in health. This is why so many more women are living past menopause. This has opened up and new series of questions that directly relate to menopause and HIV. Researchers are making new discoveries daily, but this area of study is relatively new.

Similar symptoms are reported with HIV and menopause

Irregular menstrual cycles are a common symptom of menopause. HIV can also cause the same type of symptoms in women who are not perimenopausal. The only way for a woman with HIV to know for certain is to make an appointment her health care provider who will perform a series of tests for signs of menopause.

The loss of bone mass in women is another symptom that can be a result of either menopause of HIV. Treatment for HIV has not been found to affect bone density one way or the other so it is assumed that the loss of bone density is a direct result of the HIV virus. In addition to this, HIV can cause night sweats, fatigue, insomnia, mood swings and emotional disturbances similar to those experienced by some women during menopause.

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Finally, HIV presents risks of developing cardiovascular disease that are remarkably similar to women at the stage of menopause. While treatments for HIV have not been found to affect the production of hormones in any particular way, many of the symptoms and complications of HIV infection are quite similar to those of menopause.

Implications that confound current research

Women with HIV are less apt to report the symptoms that they experience because they are not certain whether they are due to the onset of menopause or because of the HIV infection. This makes it more difficult to get an accurate accounting of whether or not they are experiencing early menopause.

There are no concrete studies to support the reports that some women with HIV experience more intense symptoms during menopause. Since the symptoms are similar it is difficult to tell whether or not the duration and intensity of their discomfort is in fact a side effect of menopause, of HIV, or of some type of combination of the two conditions.

Further research is needed

Researchers who are studying the correlations, links and similarities between menopause and HIV all agree on one thing. And that is that much more research is needed to understand why the symptoms in each disease are so very similar and if HIV actually does bring on early menopause. In addition to this, what are the correlations between HIV, menopause and the development of complications of menopause and HIV? Is there a common causal factor in each?

Conclusion

Improved survival and longevity rates among women with HIV have resulted in an increased number of them surviving past menopause. This has opened up a new field of research to attempt to understand the connections between the similarities in symptoms of both HIV and menopause. So far, science has found that HIV treatments do not affect hormone levels in women who are menopausal or not, nor do they seem to be a direct cause of the other symptoms that occur. This leaves them wondering why HIV mimics menopause. In order to fully understand these questions, more studies need to be conducted. Although it appears that women with HIV experience the onset of menopause at a younger age, there is not enough data to confirm this yet. This is why researchers are taking an interest in this new area of study.

Source: Consumer Health Digest Menopause Center