ENDOMETRIAL TUBERCULOSIS AS A CAUSE OF STERILITY

Genital tuberculosis in the female is a disease mainly of the procreative period. Kelly 1 was unable to find more than 21 cases of genital tuberculosis in patients under 15 years. Hegar, 2 however, found it more frequently during childhood, although he admits that it appears mainly between the ages of 16 and 25. These authors also emphasize the fact that genital tuberculosis during childhood often remains unrecognized because of its atypical symptoms. The frequency of genital tuberculosis decreases from the tubes toward the pelvic outlet. The tubes are affected most frequently (85 to 90 per cent). The reports concerning the general incidence of female genital tuberculosis and the incidence of tuberculosis of the different organs (namely the ovaries, myometrium, endometrium, and cervix) vary considerably. In evaluating the results of the various statistical examinations one has to distinguish between women whose genitals are the only obviously affected system and a