HIV and Early Menopause

In South Africa, there are many women living with HIV who are in midlife and are experiencing perimenopause and menopause.

However, research on women who are living with HIV and navigating perimenopause and menopause remains limited in low and middle-income countries, including South Africa.

How women living with HIV experience perimenopause and menopause, and the health risks that may come with their menopause journey, will be a focus area for us given that this information will support a large number of South African women.

As more studies are undertaken, and more information becomes available, we will look to update the posts on our website and share the latest information in our newsletters.

Earlier menopause and women living with HIV

Studies conducted in different country settings, including South Africa, Botswana, Nigeria and Switzerland, suggest that earlier menopause is common for women living with HIV.

While this needs to be investigated further, the data currently available seem to show that women living with HIV reach menopause a few years before women living without HIV.

One relatively recent research study found that South African and Kenyan women living with HIV (who were part of the study) experienced menopause earlier (mean age 48.1 ±5.1 years) than women living without HIV (mean age 50.9 ± 4.7 years).

This of course does not mean that all women living with HIV will experience earlier menopause than women living without HIV, nor that they will necessarily navigate the health risks that come with premature and early menopause.

That said, because the information we have currently points to women living with HIV potentially experiencing menopause earlier, it is important that this is shared so that women are aware.

This may help you better, and more quickly, recognise possible perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms. For women living with HIV and navigating early menopause, it is important to speak with your doctors and healthcare providers about early menopause and accessing treatment for moderate and severe symptoms sooner.

My Menopause SA

Evidence-based menopause information for South African women.

Page last reviewed: 1 March 2026
Next review due: 1 March 2027

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Madanhire, T., Hawley, S., Dauya, E., Bandason, T., Rukuni, R., Ferrand, R., & Gregson, C. (2023a). Menopausal symptoms by HIV status and association with health-related quality of life among women in Zimbabwe: A cross-sectional study. BMC Women’s Health, 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-023-02466-1

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Ó Breasail, M., Gregson, C. L., Norris, S. A., Madanhire, T., Jaff, N., Crowther, N. J., Micklesfield, L. K., & Ward, K. A. (2022). Menopause is associated with bone loss, particularly at the distal radius, in black South African women: Findings from the Study of Women Entering and in Endocrine Transition (SWEET). Bone, 164, 116543. https://doi.org/10.1016/jbone.2022.116543

Okhai, H., Sabin, C., Haag, K., Sherr, L., Dhairyawan, R., Burns, F., Gilson, R., Post, F., Ross, J., Mackie, N., Sullivan, A., Shepherd, J., Tariq, A., Jones, R., Fox, J., Rosenvinge, M., & Tariq, S. (2021). Menopausal status, age and management among women living with HIV in the UK. HIV Medicine, 22, 834-842. https://doi.org/10.1111/hiv.13138

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