Contents:
- Medical Video: Tuberculosis & Pregnancy, TB can Lead to Infertility from Dr Bela Ravi Kant
- What is genital TB?
- TB in the genitals causes many infertile women
- How can genital TB occur?
- Impact of TB on the genitals
- What can be done to reduce the risk of tuberculosis in the genitals?
Medical Video: Tuberculosis & Pregnancy, TB can Lead to Infertility from Dr Bela Ravi Kant
Tuberculosis (TB, or TB) is an infectious disease that is a health problem in developing countries such as Indonesia. Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis which is transmitted through the air, and generally attacks the respiratory tract. TB itself is a serious chronic infectious disease if left untreated, potentially even spreading and damaging other organs. Did you know that genital tuberculosis might also occur? This is called genital TB disease.
What is genital TB?
Genital TB is a condition experienced by TB patients if the TB germs in the lungs have spread to the genital organs. Fertility problems or even infertility are side effects that may be experienced. The spread of TB germs to the pelvic area where the genital organs are located takes a long time, but the process of infection often does not cause symptoms so that the presence of TB in the genitals is very difficult to detect.
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Symptoms of genital TB are more likely to be found in women because they are characterized by a variety of abnormal bleeding from the genital organs, and also accompanied by abdominal pain. Whereas in men, TB symptoms in the genitals have similarities with other urinary tract infections, such as removing blood when urinating. TB infection in the genitals does not directly affect the quality of reproductive cells, but it causes a variety of damage to the genital organs and its surroundings first.
TB in the genitals causes many infertile women
Genital TB is a rare type of extra-pulmonary TB, because it only accounts for 9% of the total cases of extra-pulmonary TB in the world. However, tuberculosis in the genitals is the cause of 5-10% of cases of infertility in women in the world. Because it is hard to find, it is estimated that the total cases of genital TB are only around 8-10 million cases in the world. Increased cases of genital TB that occur every year are also influenced by the growth of people with HIV / AIDS, both in developed and developing countries.
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How can genital TB occur?
Genital TB infection originates from tuberculosis in general. TB sufferers are infected with TB germs that are in the air, enter the respiratory tract and begin to develop. TB germs are more likely to spread and infect other organs if the disease is not treated, and the patient's immune system is declining. This happens especially in people with HIV / AIDS who also experience TB. Healthy people who do not have a history of TB can also experience genital TB through sexual contact with TB patients.
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Impact of TB on the genitals
Infertility is the main impact of genital TB in both men and women. TB bacterial infections cause persistent disturbances in the genital organs. The impact of genital TB can only be minimized and cured if TB infection in the reproductive organs is treated before genital organ obstruction occurs.
In women, genital TB infection can begin in the fallopian tube which is an important organ in the menstrual process, and can spread to the ovaries and uterus. Obstruction in the organ may not heal. This causes irregular menstrual cycles and abnormal bleeding and color. When the damage gets worse, the menstrual cycle will stop completely even if it hasn't entered menopause. This is what causes a woman to become infertile.
Whereas TB infection in the male genitals can start from the kidney which functions to filter blood from the entire body. Furthermore, the infection will spread to the ureter, bladder, prostate gland, scrotum, to the penis. Forms of damage to genital TB in men include inflammation to damage to the skin tissue of the genital organs. Genital TB tends to be more difficult to detect in men because it has the same symptoms of infection as parasitic infections Treponema pallidum, viruses and fungi and require medical imaging to detect early inflammation.
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What can be done to reduce the risk of tuberculosis in the genitals?
Prevention and detection of disease as early as possible is the best way to avoid obstruction of genital organs due to TB germs. Complete TB treatment and avoiding sexual contact with TB patients is the best step to reduce the risk of genital TB. Checking the health of the genital organs when you suspect abnormalities or abnormal pain that is too frequent, will also help early diagnosis of the development of infection. Consult your doctor to start TB antibiotic treatment if you suspect you have a risk of genital TB and are accompanied by symptoms of infection in the genital organs.
