Age at marriage and HIV vulnerability among young married women living with HIV in northern Karnataka, India

•More than three fourth of the respondents got married before their 17th birthday.•The mean age of the respondents in the sample is 26 years and their husbands is 33 years.•Two third of the respondents were less than 25 years of age and pregnant when they were tested HIV positive.•Young women may be less capable of asserting themselves or denying sex to protect themselves from HIV vulnerability.