Scared of toxoplasmosis

[DisneyLady1]

I'm going to preface this by saying I'm a very anxious person in pregnancy! It feels like 9 months of walking on a tightrope - made worse by having had a previous miscarriage, and also a chemical pregnancy last time.

The other night I was eating a microwave meal (the nausea was so bad, I just needed something to eat and fast!). It contained beef and then some spring onions chopped on top. When I was eating the spring onions I noticed a grittiness, like the texture of sand.

Anyway, after I finished the meal I started panicking that this was perhaps dirt or grit because the veg hadn't been washed properly, and now I'm worried about toxoplasmosis.

The meal wasn't a supermarket one, but rather made by a small independent business that supplies local shops where I live, so I have no idea what their food hygeine practices are.

I'm 7 weeks pregnant and now wondering whether I should request a blood test to be on the safe side?

I know it could sound irrational but I can't stop thinking about it and even had a dream last night that I lost my baby because of it :(

I’m always surprised in the uk that they don’t test for this. It’s done routinely in France when you are first pregnant to see if you have anti bodies. I don’t think the dr would test you for eating a microwave dinner. If you are really worried then say you changed a cat’s litter tray before you realised you were pregnant and ask for a test.

I have a friend of the family who caught this while they were pregnant and gave birth to a disabled child because of this so I was naturally terrified and I remember spending months panicking that I had eaten a roast beef dinner that wasn't cooked all the way through because I had eaten beef and had no idea how it was cooked.

All I can say is that it's so rare that this would be an issue. Independents also have to ensure food safety. Have you checked out their rating? Get the blood test if it helps - you'd do other things to ease anxiety and I feel this would be an appropriate example. Is there definitely one available?

But you cooked the meal so any bacteria would be killed. If it was dirt it would be sterilised dirt and not going to do any harm

Congratulations OP! You say you are anxious OP have you recieved any support for your anxiety? I would really recommend talking this through with your midwife/doctor as it can sometimes take a while to get support in place. It's easy for anxiety to spiral during pregnancy/postpartum.

As for toxoplasmosis it's rare as it is even with several cats in the house. I doubt you would have caught anything off a processed and cooked onion.

Thanks so much for your kind messages everyone. Sorry it has taken a while to respond, the nausea/vomiting has taken a real turn in the last 24 hours so I've been sofa bound.

@Vinrouge4 I'm envious that you live in France! I studied French and lived there for a year and found the healthcare to be brilliant. I might see if I can get a private blood test in 3 or so weeks just to set my mind at ease.

@IkeaMeatballGravy thanks for your kind response. I am lucky to be able to see a therapist for OCD with my workplace health insurance, so we are definitely discussing these worries there. One of my challenges was not to look on mumsnet, and I have clearly failed that. It is so hard not to look things up online when they are constantly on your mind. I was like this last pregnancy too, it's like flicking a worry switch.

I think, as it has been thoroughly cooked, any risk would be absolutely minuscule.

I relate to you though, I’ve been worrying a lot about a ready meal I had with n’duja sausage which I didn’t realise was a cured meat.

But it was cooked when I ate it (and many ready meals are either pre-cooked or frozen in preparation anyway, so another layer of killing bugs etc) so in reality there is likely only a tiny risk. And most things have some risk.

It is really hard to reconcile that more logical thinking with the instinct to try and protect your much wanted pregnancy so I very much sympathise!

Please read the book 'Expecting Better' - it reviews the (limited) evidence for pregnancy advice, mostly in UK and USA. It makes you realise what scant evidence there is. And consider some support for your anxiety. There are things you probably do every day which are significantly higher risk, like driving!