Pay Attention To Your Body: What HIV and Menopause Taught Me

Has HIV taught you to pay attention to your body?

I know mine did.

After living with HIV for almost 3 decades, you think you have seen it all. Then, here comes something else. It is this thing called menopause that shows up.

Managing menopause symptoms while aging with HIV

I wasn’t prepared for the HIV and menopause combination together whatsoever, and I am sure there are other women reading this who were not ready either. I am dealing with lack of sleep, night sweats, mood changes, and hot flashes.

I also have brain fog and feel tired even though I am a very active woman. I'm feeling like my body has been doing things that it cannot control on its own.

Searching for specialized HIV care

I have been looking for answers, especially now, since the funny outcome of my body has gotten somewhat worse. I am trying hormone therapy to see what works to help my body stop the war it's having with heat that overcomes my body.

I say that my body is having a "summer moment" right now.

Ladies, checking our hormone levels is one thing, but I am learning that it is so much more than that. I am not a specialist by any means, but now I am going to see someone else who will check my testosterone levels and my entire self.

And I will continue to search for the right physician who can help me until I get it right.

How can I talk about menopause with my healthcare team?

I sometimes wonder, what is this virus we are living with, ladies? What is this thing called menopause? And what is this aging thing we are going through?

When you are a woman living with HIV and these issues are not brought up, you kind of feel left out of the aging conversation sometimes, right?

If we continue to raise these concerns with our doctors, hopefully one of them will listen to what we are saying about our bodies. We must...

• Speak up and talk about it until someone listens and helps us.
• Advocate for ourselves and not let them simply tell us what we should do.
• Ask questions before we agree.

Aging with HIV also means understanding my whole body. We really do deserve more information about HIV and menopause instead of having to do all of our own research.

We need support, solutions, and a better understanding of why women living with HIV often report more severe hot flashes and menopause symptoms than women who are not living with HIV.¹

I felt dismissed by my doctor, but I listened to menopause symptoms in my 30s

If you are a woman who is living with HIV and struggling with menopause symptoms, I am here to tell you that you are not alone at all. Looking back, I wish someone had listened a little closer to me.

Mine started in my late 30s when I was told that nothing was wrong with me and that I was too young. I knew my body was changing, but I did not have the language to explain what I was experiencing.

One thing I have learned through this journey is to trust what my body is telling me. If something feels different, speak up, write your symptoms down, and ask questions.

If you do not feel heard, find another provider who will listen. Nobody knows your body better than you do.

Finding trust in my HIV care team

Although I am still searching for answers myself, I have had doctors who were willing to listen and explore different options with me. Those conversations reminded me that I did not have to figure everything out on my own.

Sometimes the first step is simply bringing it up and being honest about what you are experiencing. As women living and aging with HIV, we have spent years advocating for our health. Menopause should be no different.

• Our experiences deserve to be heard.
• Our symptoms deserve to be taken seriously.
• Our voices deserve a place in these conversations.

The more we talk about HIV and menopause, the more likely we are to find support, information, and solutions.