Toxoplasmosis - unsure whether to ask for a test

[StrawberryPrincess]

I'm 22 weeks pregnant and have 2 cats, who are 7 years old and very keen hunters (despite having two bells on their collars!)

They don't have litter trays and go to the toilet outside. I am also vegetarian so never eat meat, let alone undercooked meat. Because of this, I never really thought much about toxoplasmosis and the only precaution I've taken is to be extra careful washing fruit and veg and when gardening.

My long-haired cat was sitting on my lap last night and I noticed that she didn't smell very nice... it turned out that her bum was a bit dirty

I suddenly feel very paranoid about the fact that the cats sleep on our bed. They also have access to the kitchen, and I've realised that I may not always know when they've been on the work surfaces. I do keep the kitchen clean, but I don't freshly disinfect the surfaces before preparing food every time. It is therefore possible that the cats have been on the work surface at some point without me seeing them, and I've then prepared food where their (potentially contaminated) paws have been.

All of these thoughts are firstly grossing me out a bit, and secondly making me rather worried. Am I over thinking it, or should I ask to be tested for toxoplasmosis? I've done a lot of reading and it seems that cat owners often haven't actually picked it up before - only 30% of adults have had it and most of those come from food rather than cats.

My main reservation to getting tested would be to find out I've been infected in the past, but not currently. Because I'm well into the second trimester, it may now be difficult to assess whether I was exposed long before pregnancy or at the beginning of it. I can see it opening up a can of worms and leading to a lot of stress, which may be unnecessary.

Does anyone know more about this and could very kindly share their thoughts?

What would you do with the information?

... if (with the info) you aren't going to do anything different in this pregnancy, then maybe it would best to wait to test until after the birth so you can then make the information useful rather than an ongoing worry.

Unless the test has changed since I had it, they cannot tell at what point in your life you have picked up toxoplasmosis, so unless it comes back clear I doubt it would help you at this point.

Have you had any unexplained fever at all during your pregnancy?

I’m in exactly the same boat OP - 13 weeks pregnant, cat owner and really worried about it. I also eat meat! If the baby does contract toxo the effects can be really serious, so I can’t understand why the test isn’t offered as routine like it is in some other European countries.

Ragged I believe if you test positive for toxo you’re put on a course of antibiotics for the rest of the pregnancy.

No unexplained fever or anything like that, which is something at least. However I've been reading about it like mad, and am now worried about something else! I went to a petting farm a couple of months before I got pregnant, and bottle fed some little lambs. And apparently toxoplasmosis can affect the baby if you catch it up to three months before

Will I ever stop worrying :'(

I was initially told by GP that it wasn't usual to test for toxoplasmosis, but then did get tested by midwife at 12-week appointment because one of my cats had recently scratched me. The test was negative, despite me having had cats who have all jumped on work surfaces, slept on human beds and licked/nosed me in the face! for about 31 years of my life.

Which is to say that I wouldn't worry about it too much, especially if you haven't had any unexplained fever symptoms or similar, but would get the test if possible. If it's negative, it will hopefully set your mind at rest (although TBH I would keep cats off work surfaces and/or sanitise with antibacterial wipes going forward until the end of the pregnancy, which is what I've been doing), and if it's positive the lack of any fever symptoms or illness during the time you have been pregnant likely suggest that you caught it a long time ago and are thus immune to catching it again.

Only exception to this would be if you had a fever/felt ill after feeding the lambs, which I'm keeping my fingers crossed wasn't the case.