Your immune system begins to react to the rapidly multiplying virus as soon as you are infected with HIV. This is known as the acute stage. Some people have only very mild or no symptoms at all.

Others have symptoms that include:

Sore throat fever
fever
headache
upset stomach
swollen lymph glands
general body aches
skin rash
Symptoms may be recurrent or last for weeks. Because these symptoms are similar to common illnesses like the flu, you might not want to see a doctor. Even if your doctor suspects the flu or mononucleosis, HIV may not be considered.

Your viral load is likely very high during this period when it is still undetected. It can be easily passed to someone else during unprotected sexual intercourse.

READ ALSO: Facts To Know About HIV, AIDS: Symptoms And Treatment

Initial symptoms usually resolve within a few months as you enter the chronic, or clinical latent stage of HIV. This stage can last many years or even decades with treatment.

Even if caught early, HIV cannot be cured. However, early treatment with antiretroviral medication can keep your immune system healthy longer to prevent AIDS, and make transmission less likely.

HIV symptoms in men

HIV Symptoms vary from person to person, but they’re similar in men and women. During the first two to four weeks, the virus reproduces at a high rate and you may experience flu-like symptoms such as:

fever
chills
swollen lymph glands
Symptoms can be mild to severe and usually go away within a few weeks. Following the acute stage of infection, it’s not strange to be without symptom for a long time.

As the infection progresses, other symptoms may include:

headaches and other aches and pains
night sweats
fatigue
skin rashes
oral infections
pneumonia
nausea
vomiting
persistent diarrhea
weight loss
These symptoms can be recurrent or get progressively worse. If you’ve been exposed to HIV, you may also have been exposed to other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Men are more likely than women to notice symptoms like sores on their genitals. But men typically don’t seek medical care as often as women.

Without treatment, HIV can advance to AIDS. At that stage, the immune system is so weakened that it cannot fight off the killer disease.

HIV symptoms in women

For the most part, symptoms of HIV are about the same in men and women. The virus reproduces rapidly in the first two to four weeks. Temporary flu-like symptoms in this stage may include:

fever
chills
swollen lymph glands
As the infection progresses, other symptoms may include:

headaches and other aches and pains
night sweats
fatigue
skin rashes
oral infections
pneumonia
nausea, vomiting
persistent diarrhea
weight loss
In addition, women with HIV are at increased risk of:

vaginal yeast infections and other vaginal infections, including bacterial vaginosis
sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis
pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
infection of the reproductive organs and menstrual cycle changes
human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause genital warts and lead to cervical cancer
Another gender difference is that women are less likely than men to notice small spots or other changes to their genitals.

Source: http://www.healthdiary365.com/2017/11/09/early-symptoms-of-hiv-symptoms-in-men-and-women/