Attention all pregnant women: Have you heard of Toxoplasmosis and what it can do to your unborn child?

Question

I was the result of a toxo baby. I just want pregnant women to be aware of the dangers. It was basically unheard of when my mother was pregnant with me. If you contact it for the first time while you are pregnantyou are pregnant it can be devastating to your child. Also depending on what trimester you contact the disease. After that your child will always have it. It can reactivate at anytime. Immunity only applies to the mother, not the child. Mine has reactivated twice since my birth. There are different types of the disease. Mine was ocular which caused severe damage to my eyesight. It can also cause severe damage to the nervous system and the brain, as well as other organs in your body. I am just trying to do my part to help you all. This disease is basically unheard of if you would randomly ask someone out on the street. I don't believe it is mandatory for your ob/gyn to test you for it. So if you have ever come in contact with cats, raw meat ect. please ask your Dr. to test you.

Answer 1

That is a bacteria transported if you consume cat poop. If you have a cat, dont change the liter box. have your hubby do it. it can harm the baby. Just be careful and wash your hands after playing with your animals, and make sure you cook all your mats throughly and cleanup after you cut up raw meat.
heres some more ways to prevent it:::

Wear gloves when you garden or do anything outdoors that involves handling soil. Cats, which may pass the parasite in their feces, often use gardens and sandboxes as litter boxes. Wash your hands well with soap and water after outdoor activities, especially before you eat or prepare any food.
When preparing raw meat, wash any cutting boards, sinks, knives, and other utensils that might have touched the raw meat thoroughly with soap and hot water to avoid cross-contaminating other foods. Wash your hands well with soap and water after handling raw meat.
Cook all meat thoroughly; that is, to an internal temperature of 160° F and until it is no longer pink in the center or until the juices become colorless. Do not taste meat before it is fully cooked.

Answer 2

Toxoplasmosis is a very serious infection that you can aquire by feces of cats or undercooked meat. If you have cats and have been around them for a long time, it's most likely your system has built an immunity to the virus. It can cause miscarriage, preterm labor, or death depending on the severity of the case. You can have your doctor check you for immunity, but the best advise is do not handle a litter box and make sure your meat is cooked well to prevent infection.

Here's a link for you:
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregnancy/pregcomplications/1461.html

Answer 3

As far as bungee jumping, etc. I don't know if the companies insurance would allow them to do this. I know it is probably not a good thing to allow pregnant women to drink, etc. but we are really getting into an area where people might be over controlled if you start telling woman that they have to do this and can't do that. It would be hard to know where it would end. Would it come to the point where the government would tell you what you should eat, how you should exercise etc? I wouldn't want to live in this kind of world.

Answer 4

Toxoplasmosis is a bacteria that people can come into contact with by eating undercooked meat or coming into contact with animal feces. It can cause birth defects if it is contracted by a pregnant woman. Pregnant women shouldn't clean cat's litter boxes or eat raw or undercooked meat because of this.

Answer 5

Yes, are you aware that if you have ever owned an outdoor cat or if you eat meat medium or rare you are likely already immune and you can get tested to find out.

Answer 6

Many women are immune to it having been exposed already if they have lived with cats in the past.

Just to be safe pregnant women can ask someone else to do litterbox duty for 9 months.

Answer 7

Yes.