How is Genital Tuberculosis Treated?

Treating genital tuberculosis requires correct diagnosis and identification of the severity of infection in a person. With very few symptoms to confirm the presence of such an infection, treatment of this disease depends completely on the diagnosis using various medical tests and methods.

Some of the clinically identified symptoms of genital tuberculosis include swelling in the genital area, vaginal discharge in women, pelvic pain, bleeding after sexual intercourse and painful intercourse, and most importantly, infertility. Often, infertile women are suspected of genital TB only when they reveal a personal or family history of tuberculosis. Numerous tests are prescribed by the doctor to confirm the disease in a patient's body. These include:

• Tuberculin test
• Menstrual blood for culture
• Evaluation of endometrium tissue in biopsy
• Investigation of the uterine cavity or Hysterosalpingography
• Histologic examination
• Peritoneal fluid for culture
• Endoscopy
• Ultrasonography
• Cervical cytology
• Complete blood count
• Laparoscopy
• Hysteroscopy
• Endoscopy of the urinary bladder
• Chest radiographs
• Culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• Other serologic tests

Upon confirmation of the disease from these tests, the treatment is commenced in the form of oral medication, chemotherapy or sometimes, depending upon the severity of the disease, surgery.

Genital TB Treatments

The commonly prescribed methods used for the treatment of genital TB are:

Antitubercular chemotherapy: A shorter course of chemotherapy is given to patients for six to nine months.

Directly observed treatment short course: It is a highly recommended, efficient, and cost-effective treatment against genital TB. This includes a two-month course of the drugs rifampicin (R), isoniazid (H), pyrazinamide (Z) and ethambutol (E) and a daily four-month therapy of the drugs rifampicin (R) and isoniazid (H).

Surgery: In rare cases, surgery is also opted for treating genital TB in patients.

Genital TB is a highly infectious and painful disease that affects the genital tract of and causes various complications. Since this disease is hard to diagnose, often the symptoms are misinterpreted to belong to some other infections. Therefore, it is very difficult to treat this disease without conducting various tests.

Maintaining a good physical health and taking immediate medical aid if diagnosed with any form of TB is best to avoid falling victim to genital tuberculosis, as this disease spreads not only through exterior factors but also through a person's own bloodstream.