[Genital tuberculosis and sterility]

The incidence of genital tuberculosis in its active and silent forms in determining in female procreational incapacity can be evaluated at about 5.03% (0.27% in active phase, 4.76% latent): these figures come from the extensive series of three Milan marriage sterility centres covering some thirty years of clinical and out-patient work (a total of 294 patients with specific genital diseases, of whom 16 in developmental phase and 278 latent). Chemotherapy, which always involves a variety of medicaments (prevalently streptomycin-isoniazide-etambutol association or rifampicin-isoniazide) can consist of the following approaches, depending on disease characteristics: - attach therapy - particularly in initially exudative forms, in acute and subacute evolutive phase and in the acute recurrences of chronic, drug-sensitive forms - using massive doses for two-three months; - basic therapy - indicated in chronic and stationary periods - with simultaneous administration of the chosen drugs and breaks in the treatment, for a period of at least six-eight months; - consolidation therapy - to be carried out even when the cure is apparently complete so as to avoid relapses - with periodic cycles lasting at least ten-twelve months. The experience can be considered highly encouraging because, quite apart from clinical cure, gestation occurred in only six cases and these gave rise to eutocic deliveries.