What's on This Page?
- About Women Like Us – Aging Positively
- Topic Spotlight: Menopause
- Videos and Podcasts
- Articles and Conference Coverage
- Resources and Checklists
- Ongoing Conversations
- Order Materials
- Mujeres Como Nosotras: En español
About Women Like Us – Aging Positively
Women Like Us – Aging Positively focuses on increasing overall health and wellness among women aging with HIV by increasing social connectedness and access to relevant health information. This program aims to expand access to health information that centers the needs of women aging with HIV, improve patient-provider interactions and relationships, and decrease isolation. It also works to provide opportunities for women to connect with each other through The Well Project's network, build health literacy, and expand leadership and capacity building among women aging with HIV.
Women Like Us – Aging Positively ensures that The Well Project's vision – of a world in which women living with or vulnerable to HIV have the information, support, and tools they need to advocate for their health and well-being, and live free from stigma – is inclusive of women aging with HIV. We encourage you to check this page regularly for programming updates!
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Topic Spotlight: Menopause
All About Menopause and HIV: Use These Infographics to Share the Facts
Menopause is a natural process for people who menstruate – and it is not the end of your vitality! We need more research and more open conversation about how menopause affects our bodies and lives. Share these infographics and spread knowledge about menopause and HIV. Let's talk about it!
Expert Conversations
HIV and Menopause Roundtable: What We Know, and What We Need to Know
A diverse and engaging panel of experts explored crucial questions about menopause and perimenopause in this pivotal 90-minute roundtable discussion. The event featured insights, challenges, and strategies for managing menopause in the context of HIV.
Symptoms and Sisterhood: Navigating Perimenopause/Menopause Together | A Girl Like Me LIVE
Bridgette Picou, LVN, ACLPN, and Dottie Rains-Dowdell, DHSc, explored the multifaceted journey of perimenopause and menopause for women living with HIV, covering symptom management, healthy coping strategies, and the power of community and storytelling in navigating this transition in this episode of A Girl Like Me LIVE.
HIV, Women, and Menopause: Leadership Exchange LIVE
On the October 2023 episode of Leadership Exchange LIVE, Bridgette Picou was joined by Sara E. Looby, PhD, CNP-BC, FAAN; Sara H Bares, MD, FIDSA; and Gina Brown, RSW, who help us navigate this topic that is often left out of research and conversations that are vital for women's physical and mental health.
Journal Articles and Fact Sheets
Beyond Hot Flashes: Centering Lived Experience in Menopause and HIV (JANAC)
Learning about one's HIV status, like menopause, can be an unexpected and often traumatic life transition. This commentary co-authored by The Well Project's Bridgette Picou for the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care describes how lack of recognition of menopause can erode trust in providers and compromise care for women living with HIV.
Videos and Podcasts
Aging Positively: Planning for a Fulfilling Future | A Girl Like Me LIVE
Watch this episode of A Girl Like Me LIVE and get empowered with practical insights and strategies to embrace the aging process with grace and confidence.
Aging Positively: Taking Action Across the Lifespan – WATCH! 2.0
The focus of growing older with HIV should not just be about managing the aging process itself, but rather on our overall wellness. This means physical health, mental well-being, and a sense of social connectedness that allows us to age well and thrive. The sixth session of WATCH! 2.0 explored these topics and more.
Combatting Loneliness and Isolation with HIV - Building A Village
On the first Women Like Us - Aging Positively episode of A Girl Like Me LIVE, The Well Project's Bridgette Picou, LVN, ACLPN, joined long-time The Well Project collaborator and fierce advocate, Gina Brown, RSW, to discuss the different types of loneliness, factors unique to women that can increase these feelings, and the importance of building community as we age with HIV.
Aging Positively: Health Screenings for Women With HIV: Leadership Exchange LIVE
Some health conditions are more common in women living with HIV across the gender spectrum as we grow older. It is important to be screened for those, sometimes at a younger age than recommended for people who are not living with HIV. Check out this enlightening episode of Leadership Exchange LIVE, and listen in as Eileen Scully, MD, PhD, and Bridgette Picou discuss medical health screenings and vaccinations.
Articles and Conference Coverage
Crafting Tools to Communicate HIV Care Gaps: A Recap from USCHA 2025
"Our plan was to discuss the various aspects of our services that are lacking and then build a physical model to represent those inequities," writes Katie Willingham of a workshop she co-facilitated in 2025 at the US's largest HIV community meeting.
Listening to Older Women Across the Globe: An Overview of AIDS 2024
"[M]y takeaways from the Silver Zone include being kind to oneself, embracing the wisdom that menopause brings, and recognizing that I am enough just as I am," writes Louise Vallace, The Well Project blogger and community advisory board member, from on the ground at AIDS 2024.
Sharing the Journey from Stigma to Mindfulness: A Recap from AIDS 2024
Read about how The Well Project blogger Louise Vallace found mindfulness practice after her HIV diagnosis, and watch a webinar version of her presentation on the topic from AIDS 2024.
Palm Springs Conference Centers Women Aging with HIV and Educates Providers
Helmed by The Well Project's Bridgette Picou, LVN, ACLPN, the annual SHE is Women's Conference in Southern California creates a safe space for women living with HIV of all genders, providers, and allies to build community, learn skills, and have fun.
Resources and Checklists
What Health Screenings Can Help Me Age Positively?
Even if you do not have symptoms or other warning signs, being on top of screenings can help catch health conditions early – and help you live your healthiest possible life.
Special Section – Aging and HIV
People are living longer lives with HIV than ever before – including younger adults who were born with HIV. People are also acquiring HIV at older ages. Check out the fact sheets, personal stories, and other resources in our special section focused on this topic.
Ongoing Conversations
There's a Place on Social Media for Women Like Us
As part of our program Women Like Us – Aging Positively, The Well Project is excited to announce a new group on Facebook. This group provides women across the gender spectrum with a space to talk about their journey, share open dialogue, and ask the questions that matter as we age with HIV.
Order Materials
Get the Facts: Aging Positively with HIV
Get key facts about aging positively with HIV at your fingertips! This pocket-sized folding pamphlet packs vital information into an attractive, readable format. The pamphlet is a helpful resource to share at conferences and community events, in clinic waiting rooms – anywhere women living with HIV are served.
Click the image above to save as a jpeg or share online; or download a printable pdf of this resource
Fill out this form to have free copies of this pamphlet and other educational materials shipped to your organization or practice!
Mujeres Como Nosotras: En español
Todo sobre la menopausia y el VIH: Use estas infografías para compartir información
La menopausia es un proceso natural para las personas que menstrúan – ¡y no es el fin de su vitalidad! Necesitamos más investigaciones para respaldar estos informes – y más conversaciones abiertas sobre cómo la menopausia afecta nuestros cuerpos y nuestras vidas. Comparta estas infografías y compartir conocimientos sobre la menopausia y el VIH. ¡Hablemos de ello!
¿Cuáles exámenes de salud pueden ayudarme a envejecer positivamente?
Incluso si no tiene ningún síntoma u otras señales de advertencia, estar al día con los chequeos médicos puede ayudarle a detectar a tiempo las enfermedades y a llevar una vida lo más sana posible.
Conozca los hechos: Envejecer positivamente con VIH
Tenga al alcance de la mano los datos clave sobre envejecer positivamente con VIH. Este folleto de tamaño bolsillo reúne información vital en un formato atractivo y legible. El folleto es un recurso útil para compartir en conferencias y eventos comunitarios, en las salas de espera de las clínicas y en cualquier lugar en el que se atienda a mujeres viviendo con VIH.
Haga clic en la imagen de la izquierda para guardarla como jpeg o compartirla en línea; o descargue un pdf imprimible de este recurso
Llene este formulario para obtener copias gratuitas de este folleto y otros materiales educativos enviadas a su organización o consultorio
Women Like Us-Aging Positively has received initial grant funding from Merck and Janssen.
