Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date. I was told that it is highly unlikely that I can contract an STD because I no longer have a uterus. The doctor mentioned gonnorhea, chylamydia , HPV, PID; but did not mention HIV. What are the chances of a woman without a uterus contracting HIV?
Mark H. Katz, M.D.
Regional HIV/AIDS Physician Coordinator
Kaiser Permanente of Southern California
There is no real data on the answer to the question you pose...but...hypothetically, if a woman got infected fluid (semen or blood or vaginal fluid) into her bloodstream, she could become HIV-infected. (And certainly if she shared needles, the presence or absence of a uterus would mean nothing!) Most women who have HIV who have contracted it sexually do have a uterus--just a fact of the age impacted--and the cervix is a possible place where the entry of the infected fluid into the woman's body could occur. Thus, I would say the chances are much less, but certainly not zero.
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