Toxoplasmosis panic - Holiday in France while pregnant

[cocoloco2]

We’re off to south of France this week for a wedding and staying on a few extra days as holiday/baby moon. I’m now 25 weeks pregnant and have been happily looking forward to a week of sun but am now dreading it more than anything. I’ve been doing some research for places to go/eat as a pregnant lady and keep getting bombarded with warnings of toxoplasmosis being rife and how strictly French women are screened due to the high risks of causing pregnancy complications/huge risk to unborn baby. Does anyone have any advice/reassure me they’ve been themselves and everything has been fine? I was aware of the risks of unpasteurized cheese/undercooked meats and obviously alcohol too but I’m now worrying about fruit, vegetables and water!

I thought they were far more relaxed in France than we are in the UK? Especially in regards to what food they are and aren't meant to eat during pregnancy.

Anecdotal but I have been living in France for a decade now and still haven't managed to get toxoplasmosis. I don't eat meat - plenty of fruit and veggies though and I'm usually quite relaxed with washing them.

I live in France and was tested to check if I had immunity to toxoplasmosis when I was pregnant. I wasn't, but apparently most French ladies are, due to exposure throughout their lives. They didn't do anything other than check me every month, along with the million other checks, to see if I had contracted it. One of the main ways to get it is from newborn lambs apparently. You'll be fine I'm sure!

Thanks for the reassurance ladies. I promised myself I wouldn’t be a paranoid pregnant person but unfortunately I am!!

I'd just stick to UK eating rules, so no raw unpasteurised cheese or bloody steaks. I think French pregnsnt womdn routinely eat both of the above

The risks have always been higher from unwashed raw veg than from meat and cheeses, whether in the UK or elsewhere - that’s where most recent outbreaks of listeriosis have come from iirc. I found the book “expecting better” really helpful for putting the various risks into perspective based on the current evidence, so I was able to make decisions for myself

Lack of pasteurisation is not so much the problem as mould-ripened soft cheeses. Unpasteurised nature cheeses are considered lower risk I believe

*mature