Miscarriage and toxoplasmosis

 

If you are pregnant and own a cat, remember to have someone else change the cat litter. Cats are carriers of the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, an infection caused by parasites transmitted to humans from infected cats. The parasite lives inside the cat's intestines and is passed into the feces, so changing your cat's litter box puts you at risk. One of the possible effects of toxoplasmosis is miscarriage. 

According to the March of Dimes, here are some tips for avoiding toxoplasmosis:

• Have someone else empty your cat's litter box.
• Don't feed your cat raw or undercooked meats.
• Keep your cat indoors to prevent it from hunting birds or rodents.
• Don't eat raw or undercooked meat, especially lamb or pork.  Cook meat to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. throughout.
• If you handle raw meat, wash your hands immediately with soap.  Never touch your eyes, nose, or mouth with potentially contaminated hands.
• Wears gloves when gardening, since outdoor soil may contain the parasite from cats.
• Avoid children's sandboxes since cats may use them as a litter box.
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Go to Sandy Robertson's blog, miscarriage-recurrentmiscarriage to read more about toxoplasmosis.