Bengaluru: With over 20 lakh tuberculosis cases worldwide, India is the second leading country contributing to the mortality rate by the disease. Usually, tuberculosis (TB) affects the lungs, but if it’s not treated it can spread through blood and lead to secondary infections affecting kidney, pelvic and fallopian tubes and uterus. But that’s not it, genital TB can be a great cause of concern for people trying to conceive. One in every five women suffering from genital TB cannot conceive naturally and the incidences now attribute to around 70% of women.
“When the bacterium reaches genital tract, it causes genital TB, which affects fertility in both the sexes. Timely treatment is very crucial, otherwise it can spread,” said Dr Vinod Kumar, Infertility and IVF specialist at Indira IVF Hospital.
In women, TB in the genital tract leads to thinning of endometrial lining due to the infection in the uterus, resulting in a barrier to the proper development of the foetus. The symptoms don’t appear easily and by the time it’s realised it would have already left an impact on fertility.
Jayashree Palaparthi, a corporate professional in the city, decided to start her family life, but at 28 years old, she was diagnosed with TB in her genital tract. She was puzzled as she never knew that TB can even affect her reproductive tract. The condition was so severe that it had affected almost her entire endometrium lining and fallopian tube. Due to constant inflammation and scarring of her uterine lining, it resulted in distortion of her normal anatomy, causing obstruction in the fallopian tube. She was devastated not only on being diagnosed with TB, but more on knowing that it has affected her fallopian tubes leaving her infertile.
Upon referral from one of her friends, she visited Indira IVF Hospital. She underwent treatment for TB with anti-TB medications for 3-4 months. Diet also played an important role in boosting her immune system. After the first IVF cycle, she conceived.
Jayashree said, “I was not even aware that TB can affect any part of our body, not just lungs. I thought it would cost me my life soon. Further adding to the misery was that the condition had spread across my uterus and fallopian tube, reducing my chances of conceiving to zero.” She said that with medications and treatment, the doctors were not only able to treat her, but also helped her rejoice motherhood.
