Listeria And Pregnancy: Food-Borne Risk And Safety Measures For Moms To Be

When you are pregnant, especially for the first time, you may get several conflicting pieces of advice on different pregnancy-related issues, including some eating rules about what is safe and what is not safe to eat. So, as per Dr. Elsa, a Mediclinic Obstetrician and Gynecologist, if you are pregnant or are expecting to be one, it is important to have a healthy diet, handle the food properly, and work on reducing food-borne health risks.

During the time of pregnancy, while your baby is growing its immune system, your immune system is weakened, making it much harder for both of you to fight off harmful pathogens and other health-related issues like food poisoning. Even though there are different food contaminants that can affect your baby, the major ones include listeria and toxoplasma.

Caused by the harmful bacterium known as listeria monocytogenes Listeria, or listeriosis, is a harmful bacterium that grows at refrigerator temperatures and contaminates ready-to-eat food items, pasteurized dairy items like raw milk, soft cheeses, and others. It is carried by many farm animals and pets.

High-risk foods that can cause listeria

As listeria is carried out by many farm animals and pets, it is advised to maintain the proper diet in pregnancy and avoid all the problem-causing food items from the menu. For instance,

1. Ready-to-eat seafood: Smoked fish, oysters, sashimi, sushi, and others.
2. Pre-packed salads: Pre-prepared and packed fruit and vegetable salads are available from salad bars, buffets, and more.
3. Freshly brewed drinks: Made from fresh fruits and vegetables where the method of washing is not clear.
4. Ready-to-eat foods: Items like deli meats, pate ham, stras, salami, and others that have been refrigerated for more than one day and are ready to eat when taken out.
5. Pasteurized dairy items: Ranging from soft-serve ice cream and soft cheese to other dairy and milk products.

What are the symptoms ranging from mild to severe?

Ranging from mild to severe symptoms many women that are exposed to listeria remain healthy while others are affected by vomiting, diarrhea, and others. The most common symptoms of listeria that can be included are:

In terms of mild

1. Mild fever
2. Fatigue
3. Body aches
4. Cough and cold
5. Nausea

In terms of severe

1. Stiff neck
2. High fever
3. Seizure
4. Sleepiness
5. Headaches

The effects of listeriosis

For some women, the health effects of listeriosis result in fever, chills, muscle aches, upset stomach, and more, but for some, it may include nothing but they pass the infection to other unborn babies without knowing about it.

In the terms of the baby, the effects are caused as per the stage of pregnancy. If the infection is caused during the first trimester, it may lead to miscarriage. If caused in the third trimester, it can lead to premature labor, birth, delivery of a low-weight infant, and even death. Apart from these, if the infection is caused late in the infant, it can result in a wide range of health problems like paralysis, seizures, blindness, impairment of the brain, heart, kidney, and others.

In the end, the point to remember is that even if you have mild symptoms, listeria can cause a severe effect on your baby. In order to avoid that and maintain good health both for your infant and yourself, consult a doctor or visit New Concept Clinic, a Gynecology Clinic in Dubai offering services related to gynecology and obstetrics.