Person-Centred
Resource Hub:
Women’s Health
UK Key Facts and Figures
Women make up a third of people with HIV, with an estimated 31,000 women living with HIV.1
In 2020, over 11,000 women aged 50 and over attended for HIV care in the UK, a ten-fold increase over 10 years.2
There is some evidence to suggest that women living with HIV might experience the menopause more severely than women who are not living with HIV.3
Women growing older with HIV2
Women with HIV often face dual stigma—due to both gender and HIV status. Many report a lack of tailored healthcare information, especially around menopause, bone health, and heart health.
Over 20% of women in one study hadn’t disclosed their HIV status outside healthcare settings, making informed, sensitive care essential.
What can I ask?
A selection of questions you can ask during your consultations:
Will HIV affect my experience of menopause?
Is there a risk of drug interaction between my menopause and HIV treatments?
Are there any non-HIV related tests I should consider?
Where can I get more information about women’s health?
What training have members of the clinic received to support them to be aware of women’s health needs and women’s experiences in health care?
Can the clinic connect me to a peer support service?
What to expect from your health and care team…
BEING
directed to organisations that specialise in support for women and having equal access to peer support services.
HAVING
access to information that focuses on women’s health needs, including menopause, bone health and heart health.
KNOWING
that you have a HIV clinician who is aware of the impact of any treatment for menopause and interactions with HIV medication.
How is women’s health being prioritised?
The Women’s Health Strategy was published in 2022. It sets out priorities for improving women’s health across their lifetime, including as women grow older.4
The Women’s Health Strategy doesn’t specifically look at women living with HIV. However, it does commit to supporting equal access to care for all women, for example access to Hormone Replacement Therapy.4
The Strategy also commits to increasing awareness of women’s health needs across different health specialities4, which should include HIV specialists.
Women’s Health Hubs are being set-up to provide better access for women to health and care. These Hubs will offer HIV screening and can offer signposting to other HIV services and support.5
Supporting women’s health for people growing older with HIV
BHIVA Quality Standards on Women’s Health6:
- Women living with HIV should be able to access care on an equal basis to any other woman. This includes equal access to treatment for conditions associated with growing older, such as the menopause.
- HIV care teams should provide expert advice on drug interactions relating to treatment for menopause.
- Women growing older with HIV should receive the same tests and screening as other women, including checks that relate to more common age-related health concerns for women, such as bone health and heart health.
Much of women’s health care will be initiated in primary care by a GP, such as assessment of appropriate treatment for menopause and standard health checks for common age-related conditions.
Women Health Hubs will focus on women’s health needs, including sexual and reproductive health. In some places, the support offer on HIV will be more extensive, including screening and referral to treatment.
HIV clinics will provide expert advice in relation to these health needs as required.
Healthcare professionals in women’s health hubs have different operational models, for example, some operate across local primary care networks, to provide intermediate care. Hubs are not physically located, using digital resources and existing facilities to increase capacity for appointments.
A GP will provide care and treatment for many conditions commonly experienced by women growing older with HIV, including referral on to secondary care and provision of screening, tests and health checks.
Whilst an HIV Consultant will not oversee care specifically relating to women’s health, they should be aware of common women’s health issues and able to deliver care in a way that is sensitive to women’s needs, including intersectional issues and awareness of the particular forms of stigma and marginalisation that women living with HIV can experience.
An HIV specialist nurse can support women growing older with HIV through signposting to specialist support services and supporting opportunities to discuss quality of life, e.g. through Patient Reported Outcome Measures. This is particularly important in the context of women being less likely to share their HIV status outside of care settings.
Specialist community organisations, such as those that work with women, or women from particular demographics, are an important source of advice and support for women growing older with HIV. This can include support around intersectional issues, for example, women who have experiences of domestic abuse and violence, or who are from marginalised communities.
Growing Older as a Woman with HIV GROWS (Growing Older Wiser and Stronger)7
GROWS is a London-based initiative supporting women ageing with HIV. Led by Sophia Forum, Positively UK, NAM aidsmap, and UCL, it’s one of twelve projects funded by the Fast Track Cities HIV London Improvement Fund.
Thanks to advances in antiretroviral therapy, the number of women over 50 living with HIV has tripled in the past decade to over 10,000. While ARVs have extended life expectancy, long-term use can bring added health challenges—especially for women who’ve lived with HIV for many years.
Ageing with HIV can involve menopause, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and mental health issues—particularly for Black African and Caribbean women. Stigma, poverty, and gender-based violence further impact wellbeing. Some women also report feeling invisible after childbearing age.
GROWS offers peer-led support, accessible information, and community spaces to help women navigate these challenges and embrace ageing with confidence. Many women report feeling stronger and more self-assured as they grow older, using their lived experience to support others.
Living Well with HIV and Menopause
Sophia Forum, a UK charity advocating for women with HIV have partnered with Dr. Louisa Newson and Dr. Nneka Nwokolo to create a menopause booklet co-developed with women living with HIV.8
The “Bearded and Flushed” campaign—run by Naz, Sophia Forum, 4M, and Positively UK—used peer support and creative writing to explore HIV and menopause. Sixteen women shared their stories through workshops, performances, and short films, creating space for empowerment and visibility.9
- British HIV Association (BHIVA) Standards of Care for People Living with HIV aims to tell you about what you should expect when getting your HIV care: https://www.standards.bhiva.org
- The Sophia Forum, GROWS Report focuses on the experiences of women ageing with HIV, identifying areas of need, and developing solutions to improve their quality of life, www.sophiaforum.net/grows-report
- The Department of Health and Social Care’s Women’s Health Strategy (2022) provides a ten-year plan aiming to reduce the gender health gap and improve health outcomes for women: www.gov.uk/government/publications/womens-health-strategy-for-england
- Positively UK’s ‘National Standards for Peer Support in HIV’ aim to establish a structure and quality benchmarks for peer support services for people living with HIV in the UK: https://positivelyuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/national_standards_final_web.pdf
- Positively UK’s guide to Peer Support in HIV Clinics aims to provide guidance and information to HIV clinical services on potential ways to integrate peer-led support within their services and care pathways: https://positivelyuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Guide-to-Peer-Support-in-HIV-Clinics.pdf
Quick Navigation
References
- Sophia Forum. GROWS: Key findings from research with women ageing with HIV. Available at: https://sophiaforum.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GROWSreport_digital_singlePages.pdf. Accessed May 2024.
- HIV Commission. Equity. Available at: https://www.hivcommission.org.uk/final-report-and-recommendations/equity/. Accessed May 2024.
- Sophia Forum. A Guide to Menopause for Women Living with HIV. Available at: https://sophiaforum.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/A-Guide-to-Menopause-for-Women-Living-with-HIV-Sophia-Forum.pdf. Accessed May 2024.
- Department of Health and Social Care. Women’s Health Strategy for England 2022. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/womens-health-strategy-for-england/womens-health-strategy-for-england. Accessed May 2024.
- Department of Health and Social Care. Womens’s health hubs: core specification. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/womens-health-hubs-information-and-guidance/womens-health-hubs-core-specification. Accessed May 2024.
- British HIV Association. Standards of care for people living with HIV 2018. Available at: https://www.bhiva.org/file/KrfaFqLZRlBhg/BHIVA-Standards-of-Care-2018.pdf. Accessed May 2024.
- Sophia Forum. Women with HIV GRowing Older Wiser and Stronger (GROWS). Available at : https://sophiaforum.net/women-with-hiv-growing-older-wiser-and-stronger-grows/. Accessed May 2024.
- Sophia Forum. A Guide to Menopause for Women Living with HIV. Available at: https://sophiaforum.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/A-Guide-to-Menopause-for-Women-Living-with-HIV-Sophia-Forum.pdf. Accessed May 2024.
- beardedandflushed.co.uk. Available at: https://beardedandflushed.com/. Accessed May 2024.
The contents of the U=U series of videos and The Fifty Over 50 project are the result of collaboration and discussion between MSD and the Whole Person Care Partnership, a collaboration between MSD and several HIV, advocacy, education and scientific organisations, with content agreed on an equal basis between all those involved. MSD are the originators and funders of the initiatives.
Please note not all the images on this website are people living with HIV and may be actors representing the community.
Reporting of side effects.
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GB-NON-10235 | Date of preparation: October 2025
