Why Pregnant Women are Told To Avoid Certain Cheeses and Hot Dogs by Some Doctors

Some doctors tell their patients not to eat cheese when they’re pregnant, and women want to know why. It’s because of the danger of contracting listeriosis, that’s found in some cheeses.

Listeriosis is caused by a bacteria called "listeria monocytogenes." Most people don’t even know they’ve contracted diarrhea from something they ate, but can’t recall what it might be. It could be the cheese. The problem is when you’re pregnant your immune system is really compromised. It’s just one more way your body prepares you not to fight off the foreign invader, your embryo — you your baby can develop to full term.

When you’re immune system is low, you can easily catch the flu when pregnant. That’s one reason why pregnant women are first in line to get the novel flu vaccination. But another nasty symptom for pregnant women is a listeria infection. You don’t want the runs because the contractions from your colon can stimulate your uterus to go into labor. That’s why in the 1960s, most women arriving in a hospital to give birth not yet in labor were given enemas not only to clean them out before they get on the delivery table, but to induce labor contractions. So you don’t want to contract listeria.

When you’re pregnant, you’re 20 times more likely to catch a bacteria or virus infection. And if you get listeria from eating certain cheeses, it could develop into a severe infection. Watch the pizza cravings. High risk groups for listeria also include older persons, cancer patients, people with diabetes, kidney disease, alcoholism, AIDS, those that are immune system compromised, or those taking corticosteroid treatments.

If you catch a bacterial or virus infection during pregnancy, the microbes will congregate and reproduce in your uterus because that’s where there is the most blood pooled bringing oxygen to your developing fetus. It’s not only cheeses some doctors tell pregnant women to avoid. It’s also hot dogs. Here is a list of foods to avoid when pregnant because of the danger of possibly contracting listeriosis.

When you’re pregnant also avoid hot dogs, luncheon meats such as bologna, salami, and deli meats or cold cuts unless you boil the deli meats until the bacteria are inactivated. Wash your hands after handling these foods for others. Wash hands often and always when touching those types of meats when preparing food for others.

The specific types of cheeses to avoid are the soft cheeses such as brie, camembert, Mexican-style cheeses, and any cheeses made from raw milk. Make sure any cheeses you eat come from pasteurized milk or are cooked and melted in a casserole that stays in a hot oven for a half hour to bake. Don’t just heat up a pizza to melt the cheese. To kill the bacteria, the casserole with the cheese on top has to bake for a long time such as a half hour.

Don’t eat hot dogs because not only the hot dog but the juice from the frank could transmit the bacteria. Wash up anything the hot dog juice spills on. Don’t drink the hot-dog juice.

If you’re pregnant and you contract listeriosis, it starts with the same symptoms as flu, plus nausea. You’ll get headaches, fever, and lots of nausea. Then the worse happens. Your placenta gets infected, and your baby gets a brain infection or you have a miscarriage.

Don’t take chances with food that usually carries listeria bacteria if you’re pregnant. Read more about how to prevent this food-borne illness that really hits pregnant women hard at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There’s a link on listeriosis there. Be aware if you’re pregnant. It’s a disease you get from eating food that looks and smells perfectly edible.

According to the CDC, in the United States, an estimated 2,500 persons become seriously ill with listeriosis each year. Of these, 500 die. At increased risk are:

* Pregnant women – They are about 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to get listeriosis. About one-third of listeriosis cases happen during pregnancy.
* Newborns – Newborns rather than the pregnant women themselves suffer the serious effects of infection in pregnancy.

Watch the News for Recalled Tree Nuts

A recall of nuts that could be contaminated with listeria has been traced to a California plant. Did you buy those nuts? You can check the websites of federal securities regulators on listeria recalls for a variety of foods. See the Chicago Tribune’s October 15, 2009 article, "Elgin nut company Sanfilippo issues recall." According to the article, "A recall of nuts that could be contaminated with listeria was traced to a California plant, and some of those nuts made their way to consumers, John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc. told the Chicago Tribune Wednesday in a filing with federal securities regulators."

Last Friday, according to the Chicago-Tribune article, "Elgin-based Sanfilippo, best known for its Fisher nuts, issued a voluntary recall of walnuts and nut toppings sold to retailers under its Baking Classics brand in 10 states, including Illinois and Indiana. The recall affects walnut halves and pieces in 16-ounce bags, and nut topping packaged in 2-ounce bags."

Frequently Asked Questions from the CDC

What is listeriosis?

What are the symptoms of listeriosis?

How great is the risk for listeriosis?

How does Listeria get into food?

How do you get listeriosis?

Can listeriosis be prevented?

How can you reduce your risk for listeriosis?

How do you know if you have listeriosis?

What should you do if you’ve eaten a food recalled because of Listeria contamination?

Can listeriosis be treated?

What is the government doing about listeriosis?