If you are pregnant and have active TB, you should start treatment as soon as TB is suspected. Although the TB drugs used during treatment cross the placenta, they do not appear to have any harmful effects on the fetus. TB medications such as isoniazid, rifampin, and ethambutol are often used for treatment during pregnancy. While dealing with TB during pregnancy is not easy, proper treatment is crucial for the health of the mother and the baby. Untreated TB disease represents a greater hazard to a pregnant woman and her fetus than does its treatment. Treatment of pregnant women should be initiated whenever the probability 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, in rare circumstances the infant may be born with TB. The drug Streptomycin should not be used because it has been shown to have harmful effects on the fetus. In most cases, pyrazinamide is also not recommended because its effect on the fetus is unknown.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tuberculosis. (2013). [ebook] New Delhi-110002, India: Regional Office for South-East Asia, World Health Organization. Available at: http://www.searo.who.int/about/administration_structure/cds/ en/index.html [Accessed 1 Jan. 2018].
