title: Vulnerability of women living with HIV/AIDS.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  outline the profile of women living with the human immunodeficiency virus/aids in interior cities in São Paulo State, in the attempt to identify characteristics related to individual, social and programmatic vulnerability and to analyze the conditions in which they discovered their serological status.
  
  
  METHODS
  between October 2008 and December 2010, a cross-sectional study was undertaken with 184 women attended at a specialized service. The data were collected through an interview and gynecological test, including the collection of samples for the etiological diagnosis of sexually transmissible conditions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  the women were predominantly white, between 30 and 49 years of age, lived with a partner, had a low education level, multiple sexual partners across the lifetime and unsafe sexual practices. The prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases corresponded to 87.0%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the study suggests the need to offer gynecological care in specialized services and the accomplishment of multiprofessional actions to reinforce the female autonomy in protective decision making.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Departamento de Enfermagem, BotucatuSP, Brazil, PhD, Assistant Professor, Departamento de Enfermagem, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marli Teresinha Cassamassimo
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Departamento de Enfermagem, BotucatuSP, Brazil, PhD, Adjunct Professor, Departamento de Enfermagem, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cristina Maria Garcia de Lima
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Parada
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Departamento de Doenças Tropicais e Diagnóstico por Imagem, BotucatuSP, Brazil, PhD, Adjunct Professor, Departamento de Doenças Tropicais e Diagnóstico por Imagem, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lenice do Rosário de
authors.initials: Ldo R
authors.lastname: Souza
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D035862:Vulnerable Populations; D014932:Women's Health Services; D055815:Young Adult