You know the phrase, “I have a gut feeling” used to describe something you’re sure of but can’t explain? It characterizes the gut as the site of something significant. Interestingly, it is a significant site, certainly more than just where food is digested.  Up to 70% of the body’s immune cells reside there, and when it comes to HIV infection, it’s particularly important. Researchers now realize that HIV remains in the gut  even when viral load is under control in the blood.

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One of the many nerdy things that interest me is database design.  I learned to make the most basic contact database in university and have been improvising my way through various PWN database challenges ever since.  One exciting example from pretty early on is the question of the tick box.  Databases are good at storing tick box information.  For example, if woman X is interested in both cake decorating and field hockey, woman X will show up in database lists of both icing-spreaders and stick-wielders, as well as in lists of women who both spread and wield.  For some reason, we have a much harder time with ticking multiple boxes in real life; we tend to want everyone to fit into neat little boxes and either/or categories.  This seems to be where many people fall through the cracks in HIV prevention and care.

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When I first heard about it, I thought the idea of Lu’s Pharmacy was fantastic- a pharmacy serving women in the Downtown Eastside. Everyone here at PWN was upbeat about it, and there was much talk among members in the drop-in. Then the news came out- Lu’s would only serve “women-born women”, excluding trans women. Why would a women’s pharmacy discriminate against women?

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There are certain topics that seem to be “off limits” in discussions with other new parents.  Unless I already know that a mom feels the same way I do, there will be places in our conversation where I self-censor because she may have different views or a different approach, and I don’t want to seem “pushy”.  Breastfeeding is one of those topics.  Many women feel very strongly about breastfeeding and many don’t.  Some women who feel strongly don’t have much of a choice anyway, because it’s just not working for them or for baby, or because they don’t have the right kind of support.  For women living with HIV, there has been even less choice involved, as breastfeeding is one of the ways that HIV can be transmitted from mother to child.  Some recent studies show that mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) during breastfeeding is significantly reduced when the mother is taking antiretroviral treatment (ARVs).  The World Health Organization (WHO) has promised to change its HIV and breastfeeding recommendations before the end of the year, giving HIV positive women more choice when it comes to feeding their babies.

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