Antenatal care in London and Toxoplasmosis

[ElodieV]

Hello,

I have just moved to London from France and will be staying until Christmas. I am 18 weeks pregnant right now and I am looking for antenatal care in London until I go back to Paris. I will need to find a private hospital for the next 4 months, which is accepted by BUPA International Health Insurance. Can anyone recommend a service?

I am also worried about Toxoplasmosis, which is a big concern in France. Nobody here seems to know about it, does anyone know whether I will get a screening and how good treatment is?

Thanks,

Elodie

Not London based so can't comment on that but would have thought you'd get antenatal care at your local BUPA hospital.

In the UK we are warned against dangers of toxiplasmosis e.g. my husband is dealing with the cat litter, was veggies, wear gloves when gardening. But AFAIK there's no screening for it unless there's a specific risk.

Everyone (well, everyone I've spoken to) knows what toxo is and how to avoid it. The key difference is in the UK you only get screened/tested privately: most prevention is done by women following NHS guidelines about what to eat and how to wash fresh produce. We do not have a high rate of toxo losses in the UK, in fact it is rare, so this approach works. Everyone is warned/knows though.

I would recommend reading the NHS food guidelines. The reason why it is wise to use the rules FOR THE COUNTRY YOU ARE IN is food/factory hygiene laws, climate top temp etc vary from place to place - as do food cultures (eg what might be eaten daily v weekly on limited foods) so it is best to deal with where you actually are, not your home nation. Bar some very litigious nations which have extra pointless rules!

Here's the link [http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/foods-to-avoid-pregnant.aspx]] click on each word because for example under "smoked salmon" it says yes you can eat it. They list all foods people ask about not just risks.

Have you looked at the Portland hospital? They're a private hospital or there's the Lindo wing at St Mary's.