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In order not to catch toxoplasmosis during pregnancy it is important to choose to drink mineral water, eat well-done meat and eat vegetables and fruits well washed or cooked, in addition to avoid eating salad outside the house and washing your hands several times a day.
Generally, the likelihood of toxoplasmosis infection increases with advancing pregnancy, but its contamination is more dangerous in the first trimester of pregnancy, as it can affect the development of the fetus, causing miscarriage or severe malformations.
To prevent infection, recommended protective measures include:
1. Avoid eating raw meat
As one of the forms of transmission is the consumption of raw, undercooked meat or sausages, it is important that women give preference to well-done meat to reduce the risk of contamination. In addition to avoiding the consumption of raw meat to reduce the risk of toxoplasmosis, it is important that the pregnant woman also wash fruits and vegetables well before consuming, as this also prevents other infections. See how to wash fruits and vegetables well.
2. Wash your hands thoroughly
To prevent toxoplasmosis it is essential to wash your hands before and after preparing food, especially meat, whenever you touch soil in the garden, as it may contain cysts of the parasite, and after having contact with animals that may be infected by the parasite or with your excrement.
A good strategy at these times is to put on gloves and then throw them in the trash, as this avoids direct contact with the toxoplasmosis protozoan. But even so, it is important to wash your hands after removing your gloves to completely eliminate the risk of infection.
Watch the following video and learn how to wash your hands properly:
3. Drink only mineral water
You should prefer mineral water, which comes in a bottle, or drink filtered and boiled water, avoiding drinking water from the tap or well, as the risk of water being contaminated is greater. In addition, it is not recommended to consume raw milk and dairy products, even if it is from a cow or goat.
4. Avoid contact with animal feces
To avoid toxoplasmosis in pregnancy, contact with animals, especially stray cats, should be avoided, as it is not known whether the animal is infected or not. In addition, contact with animals that are not properly treated increases not only the risk of toxoplasmosis, but also other infections that can cause complications for the pregnant woman.
If you have cats at home, you should avoid touching the sand and feces of the animal and, if you really have to clean them, you should do it daily, using gloves and shovel and washing your hands and throwing the gloves in the trash right afterwards. . It is also important to feed cats only cooked meat or food, in order to prevent the development of microorganisms that can contaminate the pregnant woman.
How to treat toxoplasmosis in pregnancy
Treatment for toxoplasmosis during pregnancy usually varies with the severity of the pregnant woman's infection and depends on the gestational age, requiring a blood test to confirm the disease, which normally does not cause symptoms in the pregnant woman but which can be very dangerous for the baby, which can lead to miscarriage or the baby is born with problems such as mental retardation, hydrocephalus or blindness. See more about toxoplasmosis in pregnancy.