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Updated: May 14, 2026

Collection, Isolation, and Flow Cytometric Analysis of Human Endocervical Samples
Published on: July 6, 2014
Cyclic changes in HIV shedding from the female genital tract during the menstrual cycle
Marcel E Curlin1, Wanna Leelawiwat, Eileen F Dunne
1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. mcurlin@th.cdc.gov
Abstract:
Factors increasing genital human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) shedding may increase female-to-male HIV transmission risk. We examined HIV shedding in 67 women with HIV type 1 and herpes simplex virus type 2 coinfection, during 2 menstrual cycles. Shedding occurred in 60%, 48%, and 54% of samples during the follicular, periovulatory, and luteal phases, respectively (P = .01). Shedding declined after menses until ovulation, with a slope -0.054 log10 copies/swab/day (P < .001), corresponding to a change of approximately 0.74 log10 copies between peak and nadir levels. Shedding increased during the luteal phase only among women with CD4 counts of <350 cells/µL. In reproductive-aged women, shedding frequency and magnitude are greatest immediately following menses and lowest at ovulation.
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