Before You're Pregnant - While You're Pregnant - Toxoplasma
Toxoplasma gondii can cause an illness called toxoplasmosis, which can be particularly harmful to you and your baby if you become pregnant or are pregnant. You can feel healthy, but still have toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite found in:

• Raw and undercooked meat
• Unwashed fruits and vegetables
• Water contaminated with T. gondii
• Dust
• Soil
• Dirty cat litter boxes or outdoor places where cat feces can be found. You can become exposed to T. gondii by accidental ingestion of contaminated cat feces, which can occur if you:
  
  • Touch your hands to your mouth after gardening
  • Cleaning a litter box
  • Touching anything that comes in contact with cat feces

Over time, the parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, can enter your blood stream. It usually takes about a week.
If you become pregnant while the parasite is still in your blood, it can pass through the placenta to your unborn child.

Toxoplasmosis can be difficult to detect. Only 10 percent of women infected with the parasite have noticeable symptoms. Symptoms typically include:

• Swollen glands
• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• A stiff neck

If you do experience any of the above symptoms, see your doctor immediately.

In babies, T. gondii can cause:

• Hearing loss
• Mental retardation
• Blindness
• Some children can develop brain or eye problems years after birth.

Children born infected with T. gondii can also require years of special care, including special education and ophthalmology visits. Early identification and treatment of children infected with T. gondii is essential in order to minimize the parasite's effects.

Some experts suggest waiting for six months after infection to become pregnant.
Women who become infected can be treated with medications to clear up the infection.

For Cat Lovers
If you have a cat and are thinking about becoming pregnant, you may be at risk for toxoplasmosis. You don't have to give "Fluffy" away, but be aware that T. gondii infects essentially all cats that spend any time outdoors. Cats get this parasite by eating small animals or raw meat that's infected. The parasite is then passed on through the cat's feces. It doesn't make the cat sick, so you may not know if your cat has the parasite. If you have a cat, you should do the following:

• Have someone else change the litter box, if possible. If you have to clean it, wear disposable gloves and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water afterwards.
• Change the litter box daily. The parasite doesn't become infectious until one to five days after it's shed in the feces.
• Wear gloves when gardening in a garden or handling sand from a sandbox because cats may have excreted feces in them. Be sure to wash your hands with soap and warm water afterwards.
• Cover outdoor sandboxes to prevent cats from using them as litter boxes.
• Feed your cat commercial dry or canned food. Never feed your cat raw meat because it can be a source of the T. gondii parasite.
• Keep indoor cats indoors. Be especially cautious if you bring outdoor cats indoors.

Avoid stray cats, especially kittens.

Don't get a new cat while you're pregnant.

If you own a cat that goes outside, you should be tested for toxoplasmosis to be safe. See your doctor if you have questions about toxoplasmosis.

It's easy to prevent toxoplasmosis:

• Wash your hands with soap and warm water after touching soil, sand, raw meat, cat litter, or unwashed vegetables and before you touch your hands to your mouth.
• Thoroughly wash and/or peel all fruits and vegetables before eating them.
• Don't eat raw or undercooked meat, especially pork, lamb, or venison.
• Don't touch your hands to your mouth after handling undercooked meat.
• Don't use contaminated knives, utensils, cutting boards, and other foods that have had contact with raw meat. Wash all cutting boards and knives, utensils, and other foods that have had contact with raw meat thoroughly with soap and hot water after each use.
• Cook meat thoroughly. The internal temperature of the meat should reach 160° F (71° C). Use a food thermometer to check.
• Don't sample meat until it's cooked.
• Separate raw meat from other foods in your grocery shopping cart, refrigerator, and while preparing and handling foods at home.
• Don't drink water contaminated with T. gondii. Avoid drinking untreated water, particularly when traveling in less developed countries.
• If you own a cat that goes outside, be aware that T. gondii infects essentially all cats that spend any time outdoors.

Source - http://www.fda.gov