Is Infertility related to uterine tuberculosis?

As we all know that tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The main area of body usually affected by tuberculosis is lungs. Sometimes this bacteria is transported by blood to other organs including reproductive organs and causes infection in fallopian tubes, uterus or in endometrial lining. In the genitals, the bacteria exist mostly in latent phase and show no visible symptoms for a longer duration sometimes up to 20 years.

Symptoms of uterine tuberculosis

Uterine TB is hard to diagnose. The method to diagnose TB infection is uterine tissue sampling and culturing period blood. If the TB infection persists, the culture will show colonies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Further, tissue sampling is also done by uterine curettage in which endometrial tissues are extracted and analyzed for bacterial colonies.
Some symptoms of uterine tuberculosis in uterus include irregular menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain etc. Women may also face problems like continuous discharge which is stained with blood or without blood with a foul smell. Many women would experience bleeding after intercourse if they are infected with Uterine Tuberculosis. So, the question arises, is uterine tuberculos is related to infertility? Research found that some women who were facing issues in conception without any known reason had infection of tuberculosis in uterus.

Relation to infertility

Uterine tuberculosis has been identified by gynecologists as one of the reasons for sub fertility and infertility in many cases. In India about 10% of women facing infertility issues are having tuberculosis of genitals including uterus. Due to uterine tuberculosis 2 out of 10 female are unable to bear child. In extreme cases the uterine lining become so thin that it is unable to bear an implantation resulting in miscarriage.

Treatment and future impact

Women having uterine tuberculosis are diagnosed between the ages of 15-40 years generally. This is the peak time when women are looking for successful pregnancy. Good news is that if this disease is detected early and standard treatment options are availed timely then the damage can be 100% reversed.. If the patient completes the course of drug from 6 to 9 months the chances of conceiving boost up. Once the woman conceives then it is mandatory that the woman should be in regular contact of doctor to ensure healthy embryo growth with proper development of organs. Researches also suggest that pregnant woman should have enough vitamin D along with proper nutrition and medication to rule out any complication throughout her pregnancy.
Some women having history of several miscarriages are specifically advised for low or no physical activities in first trimester to provide proper adherence of fetus to the uterine lining. It is strict to follow the medication and doctor advice for a healthy pregnancy after the treatment of uterine tuberculosis.

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