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Pregnancy

Treatment

Untreated TB disease represents a greater hazard to a pregnant woman and her fetus than does its treatment. Treatment of pregnant women should be started whenever the chance of TB is moderate to high. Infants born to women with untreated TB may be of lower birth weight than those born to women without TB and, rarely, the infant may be born with TB. Although the drugs used in the initial treatment regimen cross the placenta, they do not appear to have harmful effects on the fetus.

Testing for TB

TB skin testing is considered both valid and safe throughout pregnancy. Special TB blood tests are safe to use during pregnancy, but have not been evaluated for diagnosing M. tuberculosis infection in pregnant women. Other tests are needed to show if a person has TB disease.


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