Toxoplasmosis fears - sandpit. Please help.

[CakeSchmake]

I am panicking. I'm 5 weeks pregnant today. Last Sunday, the day after I found out I was pregnant, we took our toddler to a playoark which has an uncovered sandpit.

I was helping her dig in the sand, definitely had it on my hands. Just wasn't thinking about the toxoplasmosis risk - I hadn't expected to get pregnant again so quickly and it didn't seem real yet.

We sanitised our hands afterwards, but that's ineffective against toxo apparently. I think I washed my hands when I got in, but that was 30mins later so may have touched my mouth? Then the next day, loads of sand fell out her shoes and I swept it into a pile with my hands, and I remember eating lunch soon afterwards without washing them.

I'm absolutely freaking out. I'll ask for a test, but can anyone please, please say anything to reassure me?

How do you know the sand had toxoplasmosis?

OP you would need to be in direct contact with cat poo to even have a CHANCE of getting toxo. Seriously, There is absolutely no chance of you getting to after this incident. Please talk to someone of you carry on feeling this anxious, pregnancy is a long road.

I don't, but I've read online that sand/soil can be risky because cats could have used it as a litter tray.

Yes but you would know about it because there would be cat poo!!!

Cats only excrete the toxoplasmosis oocysts in the first two weeks after their first ever infection with toxo, so even if there was a cat poo literally sitting there on the sand it is pretty unlikely to be able to infect you considering cats live up to 15 years, 2 weeks out of a whole lifetime is good odds!!
Plus you need to have not been previously infected, i think the rate is around 20%, if you have previously had it then your immune system will stop you getting reinfected.

OhToBeASeahorse, thanks for your reply. I really struggled with anxiety during my last pregnancy. I might call my GP. I've spent the last three hours reading clinical studies on toxoplasmosis.

Don’t google!

Unless you smeared yourself in cat poo, which you would have noticed, you cannot have toxo.

The risk would be extremely low and a large proportion of pregnant women have already encountered it and are immune, but if you are feeling very worried and it's feasible for you, you can be tested privately for the antibodies.

Some problems were noted with our first pregnancy and I was tested for toxoplasmosis, CMV and parvovirus and has antibodies to all of them from previous infections (also chicken pox but I knew that). Interestingly it showed I may have had listeriosis at one time too, but not a recent infection and no immunity as previous listeria infection doesn't lead to immunity in the same way as the others mentioned.

Step away from the studies. Seriously. Think about it. You have touched clean sand. You know its clean because you would know if it wasnt.
Toxo is very rare. Lots of people have already had it and dont know

Please see your GP, as much for your toddler as you. I'm nearly 38 weeks with my 2nd and this pregnancy is definitely different. I've had to carry on lifting him etc when last time I didnt lift anything heavy.

Agree that the risk here is minuscule. Try not to worry.
When I was pregnant I'd just got 2 kittens and carried on cleaning out their litter trays the whole time (obviously being very careful about hand washing) but had no problems.

Thanks for the replies. They helped. Planning to give my GP a call today.