Tuberculosis may spread to the female genital tract, infecting the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries.
Clinical findings:
(1) The patient usually lives in or has lived in an area with a high prevalence of tuberculosis.
(2) The patient often has evidence of pulmonary tuberculosis.
(3) The patient may present with:
(3a) unexplained infertility
(3b) chronic pelvic pain
(3c) menstrual irregularities (amenorrhea, hypomenorrhea, etc) if premenopausal
(3d) endometrial bleeding if postmenopausal
(4) Biopsy shows granulomas, some of which may be caseating.
(5) Evidence of mycobacteria may be demonstrated on special stains (acid fast bacilli), culture or molecular methods.
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Specialty: Infectious Diseases, Obstetrics & Gynecology
