Once classed as a devastating virus that resulted in a guaranteed premature death, HIV can be treated successfully with lifelong medication and importantly its transmissibility is eliminated for individuals on effective medication. However, the psychosocial burden of HIV remains for many and despite this advancement in biomedical treatment, HIV remains a highly stigmatised virus and condition. This study explores how shame features in the experiences of women living with HIV in Ireland. There is an absence of women’s narratives in the overall discourse on HIV in Ireland, therefore little is known about their lives. Research on shame tells us that prolonged unacknowledged shame can impact on mental well-being if unaddressed. The study’s sample comprised twelve women living with HIV who were based in Ireland. Their narratives based on semi-structured interviews have been analysed using Clandinin and Connelly’s (2000) three-dimensional narrative inquiry tool, which explores from the interactional, chronological and situational elements of a story. A cross-case analysis was adopted to explore dominant themes across the twelve narratives. Findings from this study portray how shame stemmed from an absence of a woman centred HIV narrative and the ongoing presence of stigmatising HIV discourse. Shame featured as three dimensions of the exposed self: anticipated exposure, exposure avoidance and felt exposure. Finally, many of the participants managed to grow through their HIV-related shame and move past it by discovering a shared experience with other women, to reduce emotional isolation. This study concludes that HIV-related shame can have negative implications for women’s health and general well-being, thus compromising women’s ability to live well with HIV. HIV-related shame must be addressed with the appropriate intervention. The study contributes to the development of a women-centred HIV discourse. This can help increase visibility of WLHIV and enable potential mitigation of the onset of HIV-related shame, which is crucial in this era of HIV normalisation.