Strategies for Preventing HIV in Women

Women can practice behaviors to protect themselves against HIV/STD infection, including:

• Practice sexual abstinence, or limit sexual contact to one uninfected partner. Sexual abstinence or sexual contact only with a partner known to be uninfected are the best methods of protection against the sexual transmission of HIV and other STDs.

• Use a male latex condom. For individuals who choose to engage in sexual behaviors that may place them at risk of HIV/STD infection, CDC recommends the correct and consistent use of male latex condoms. This recommendation is based on compelling clinical evidence that the consistent and correct use of male latex condoms provides an extremely high degree of protection against HIV and several other STDs for both users and their partners.

• Use a female condom. Clinical data on the effectiveness of female condoms in preventing transmission of HIV and other STDs is limited; however, CDC recommends that persons who do not use male condoms for HIV/STD prevention use female condoms for HIV/ STD prevention. This recommendation is based on the female condom's impenetrability to HIV and other STD pathogen in the absence of rupture or slippage, its ability to cover a substantial portion of the female genitalia, and its effectiveness in preventing pregnancy when used correctly and consistently.
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• Seek treatment early if infected with an STD. There is substantial biological evidence demonstrating that the presence of other STDs increases the likelihood of both transmitting and acquiring HIV. All sexually active young women should be tested regularly for STDs, and should complete treatment if they are infected.

• Do not share injection drug use equipment. CDC strongly urges all individuals who use drugs to seek treatment to help them stop. Individuals who continue to inject drugs should avoid sharing needles or syringes.

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