Case Report: Subfertility and Pregnancy Loss due to Genital Tuberculosis

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that primarily affects low and middle income countries (LMICs) but is becoming more relevant in Western countries due to increasing migration from high TB burden countries. It is especially difficult to detect in women with fertility issues as it mimics other more common causes. Delayed diagnosis of TB can result in fallopian tube and endometrial pathology leading to subfertility and pregnancy loss. This case report describes a 34-year-old woman from Ivory Coast who was diagnosed with intrauterine tuberculosis after hysteroscopic evacuation of suspected retained placental tissue following an immature delivery. The patient had a complicated fertility history, including pelvic inflammatory disease and IVF/ICSI procedures, before becoming pregnant at the age of 38. She delivered prematurely at 22 weeks with a retained placenta. A diagnosis of TB was confirmed after pathology revealed granulomatous inflammation, without signs of placental tissue, and further testing confirmed rifampicin-resistant TB. The patient underwent a 15-month course of multi-drug-resistant TB treatment, which postponed her pregnancy wish. The case highlights the challenge of diagnosing genital TB in the female genital tract during subfertility investigations and after a complicated pregnancy in a woman without a history of or symptoms of TB. It underscores the importance of considering TB in the differential diagnosis of subfertility. Screening should be considered in women originating from high endemic countries with unexplained fertility loss and during first trimester screening.

Keywords: Female genital tuberculosis; Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis; Pregnancy loss; Subfertility issues; Transplacental exposure.

Fig. 1

Granulomata and giant cells in endometrial tissue