Toxoplasmosis

4 replies

HDL500N · 25/10/2007 19:37

I am 17 weeks pregnant. I ate a very thick and rare steak the other day. I have since read that undercooked meat can put you at risk of toxoplasmosis and am extremely worried. I also feel very stupid for putting myself at this risk (although realise there is nothing I can do about this now). Can anyone relate to this? / have any advice?

Thank you

OP posts:

MeMySonAndI · 25/10/2007 19:42

No idea but bumping just in case someone knows more about it.

LittleDIE34 · 25/10/2007 19:58

The risk is quite small, as far as I can work out. If you often eat rare meat then it's quite possible that you've had it already before you were pregnant, which means you're now immune to it and can't get it again. About 30% of 30 year olds and 50% of 70 year olds, for example, are immune.

this is from the Tommy's website

"It has been estimated that only 40% of pregnant women with toxoplasmosis will pass the infection on to their unborn child. This means that about 800 babies each year are infected with toxoplasmosis. The actual risks to the baby vary and are related to the stage of pregnancy the woman is in when the infection was acquired.

If the infection is caught in early pregnancy (first trimester), only 15% of babies are thought to be infected. If the infection is caught by the mother in the middle three months of her pregnancy (second trimester), then the risk of the baby being infected is 25%. The risk of transmission to the baby is 65% in the third trimester, which is the last three months of pregnancy."

I did exactly the same thing and worried and worried about it, and everything was fine. You can have a blood test, talk to your MW about it.

The Tommy's website is here www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/problems-in-pregnancy/toxoplasmosis.htm

Hope this helps!

LittleDIE34 · 25/10/2007 20:22

Sorry, meant to say as well that not all meat is infected with toxoplasmosis. the Health Protection Agency reckons it's mainly found in pork or lamb - this is from their website:

"Swallowing or handling undercooked or raw meat (mainly pork or lamb) that contains the tissue cyst form of the parasite "

www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/zoonoses/toxoplasma/geninfo.htm

so if you had a lovely beef steak then your risk level goes down again.

Yummmmmm, steak....wish I could have a lovely rare one and a big glass of vino right now! Sigh

Hope you're feeling less worried

LittleDIE34 · 25/10/2007 20:23