How Pets and Parenthood Help Women Cope with HIV

[emeraldize]

Not that we don't already know this through getting up every day, but it has now been studied!!

http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/hiv-populations/hiv-women/3440-pets-and-parenthood-help-women-cope-with-hiv

[Ann]

Not that we don't already know this through getting up every day, but it has now been studied!!

http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/hiv-populations/hiv-women/3440-pets-and-parenthood-help-women-cope-with-hiv

Yeah, rather a no-brainer, eh? I suppose we should be grateful they're doing women-centered research at all, but come on. Study something we don't know!

I wish they'd put more effort into studying how women metabolise hiv meds differently to men, because there is some anecdotal evidence out there pointing in this direction. I also wish they'd study the effects of hiv infection on a woman's menstrual cycle, because I know mine went haywire after infection and I've known of other women who report the same thing.

I know one thing for sure, if it weren't for my daughter when I was diagnosed with hep C (1999), I probably would have drank myself to death out of despair. (The possibility/probability of developing liver cancer due to hcv absolutely scared the shit out of me. A high school boyfriend's mother died of liver cancer and it was VERY nasty.)

I couldn't do that to her though, so after wallowing in self-pity for a couple weeks I picked myself up and got on with it. When I was diagnosed with hiv a couple years later (2001), the whole "ohmygodigotanastyvirus" thing was so last century that I didn't do the self-pity thing that time around. I did a lot of navel gazing (as in ruminating over which of my behaviours led me to become poz and what did I need to change going forward), but not self-pity.

I've got a lot to thank my daughter for. There's a good chance I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for her.

And I didn't need a study to tell me that.

Oh, and I can't believe they found the whole pet ownership deal to be such a surprise. It's like.... duh!



edited for clarity

[emeraldize]

Hey Ann,

We saw it similarly -- glad someone's taking a closer look at women's issues. I've noted what you wrote "I wish they'd put more effort into studying how women metabolise hiv meds differently to men, because there is some anecdotal evidence out there pointing in this direction. I also wish they'd study the effects of hiv infection on a woman's menstrual cycle, because I know mine went haywire after infection and I've known of other women who report the same thing." and will pass your comments along to a group here in the US that is intended to advocate for US-based research about HIV and women.

Em

[Ann]

will pass your comments along to a group here in the US that is intended to advocate for US-based research about HIV and women.

Thank you!