Toxoplasmosis During Pregnancy: Treatment Overview

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Treatment Overview

If you are not pregnant and have a healthy immune system, you won't need treatment for toxoplasmosis. Any symptoms that develop typically go away on their own. But if you become infected while pregnant, you will need treatment to try to protect your unborn baby (fetus).

Because the immune system of a fetus is not mature enough to fight off a toxoplasmosis infection, antibiotics are needed to kill the parasite. Infants who are treated before birth are more likely to be healthy after birth. Newborns who are not diagnosed and treated until after birth have a higher risk of brain and eye damage before birth or during the first 2 years of life.

If you are diagnosed with a new toxoplasmosis infection during pregnancy, you will be treated with an antibiotic that targets infection in the placenta. If further testing shows that your fetus is infected, you will be given two antibiotics that are known to reduce the impact of toxoplasmosis on the fetus.^{5 2} For more information, see the Medications section of this topic.

Sometimes fetal ultrasound testing early in a pregnancy shows severe or life-threatening fetal problems. In such cases, parents may consider ending the pregnancy.

Last updated:	June 27, 2007
Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS
Reviewed By:	Joy Melnikow, MD, MPH - Family Medicine, Gregory A L Davies, MD, FRCSC, FACOG - Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC