Toxo Paranoia?

[Julietee]

I'm scared of toxoplasmosis - I've definitely eaten raw root vegetables in salads and crudite (those radishes with the roots on) in the summer before I knew that you could get toxo from them.

Should I try to get tested or ride out the worry? I read that the rate in pregnant women here is 1 in 2000.

I've had a hunter cat all my life (so contact with dead mice etc) plus a very varied diet, so am I more likely to already be immune from past exposure?

(I'm just 20 weeks)

The rate is definitely not 1 in 2000! Where I am (the US) around 30% of the population has had it (according to my doc), including me. I'd be shocked if it was that different in the UK.

Unless you mean the rate of pregnant women who contract it??

I really wouldn't worry if I were you.

You can get toxo from washed and peeled raw root veg? Wow!

I'm France and I've been told to avoid all kinds of things because I haven't had it, and have monthly blood tests, but not been told to avoid raw veg.

If you're really worried I'd get tested to put your mind at ease but it's fairly rare in the UK.

Nope, it's not rare in the UK. About a third of the population get it, according to NHS site.

Hia!

Like you I'm a bit paranoid about this. I'm only 9 weeks and am avoiding salad when I go out. If it makes you feel any better, I read somewhere that for the first few weeks of pregnancy- up to about week 5, anything that you eat has very little impact on the embryo. Somehow your body protects it- it's after this period that you have to be careful. However, if you're a rough and tumble sort of girl, who's always had pets and played in the dirt, I'd guess that you've probably had it in the past anyway. As long as everything you're eating is washed really well everything should be fine.

I consider that relatively rare, especially given that most exposure happens in childhood in the UK. The rate in France is more like 50-70% depending on the area and age - there are far more adult cases here and the cases in pregnant women are 4-16/1000, which makes a 1/2000 in a pregnant woman in the UK fairly realistic.

(Sorry, bit of a bore on the topic because I questioned the need for monthly blood tests backed up by literature and there's a very interesting 2003 study where they broke it down by nationality, age, region etc)

1/3 people getting toxo during their lifetime doesn't make it 'rare', but it is pretty rare to contract it during pregnancy.

I have had it, but pre pregnancy so I'm immune.

As long as the raw veg you eat are washed, you don't need to worry.

Info I was given in France :

86% of pregnant women in France are immune to toxoplasmos (which is common here apparently).

Of the non-immune women, I think 4-6% will get it during a pregnancy. The earlier you get it in the pregnancy, the less likely it is to go across the placenta, but if it does cross the placenta it's more severe the earlier the pregnancy (IYSWIM).

Can't remember the exact figures I'm afraid but I do know that I'm not immune and so had monthly blood tests to check I hadn't got it. Am now on pregnancy number 2 and am still not immune so have to avoid the various foods.

oh and I'd get tested to put my mind at rest, but mainly because I'm so used to the monthly blood tests here!!!

NomDeClavier Not washed and peeled, I'm sure - the radishes I had were unpeeled and likely rinsed. How the hell are you meant to wash all vegetables anyway? Who scrubs a radish?
Which is beside the point, as I wasn't aware of the risk from root vegetables at that point, damn.

Still not sure what to do. I know not every vegetable with soil traces will carry toxo, but I'm a worrier and the consequences can be pretty dire, apparently.