Can you eat ham if you are pregnant? 2026

Until very recently, if you had asked a gynecologist if it was possible to eat ham while pregnant, the answer would have been a very high percentage of a direct no. Because? Due to the risk that ingesting the toxoplasma parasite, which causes toxoplasmosis, could harm you and, above all, the development of your baby. However, the rules of the game have changed and now, in addition to when it is cooked, there are other cases in which its consumption is allowed.

Do you know what they are? We will tell you about them below. According to Cristina Pérez Hernández, from the Gynecology and Obstetrics Service of the Sanitas CIMA Hospital in Barcelona, ​​"the consumption of ham by pregnant women continues to arouse some controversy. However, the Spanish Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics (SEGO) now maintains that if the ham is of quality and has had a long cure, pregnant women can eat it."

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Now, if you are not sure of its quality or level of curing, you could eat any ham that has been previously cooked or frozen in the 48 or 72 hours prior to eating it. It has been seen that if it is frozen, if you pass the food through an extreme temperature, any bacteria is destroyed, including the one that generates toxoplasmosis, experts point out.

If you have already developed toxoplasmosis before becoming pregnant, then you will be free to eat ham that is more or less cured. And if you have eaten ham without knowing that you were pregnant, the recommendation is that you notify your gynecologist as soon as possible so that they can do an earlier analysis and detect as soon as possible if you are a recent carrier of the toxoplasmosis bacteria that affects both the mother and especially the baby. Although in the most serious cases, the injuries to the fetus can be significant, Dr. Pérez recommends that you be "calm because your pregnancy will be much more controlled."

Of course, even if the result is negative, in addition to not eating ham except in the cases already mentioned, nor raw meat or poorly washed vegetables or fruits, you should not touch the cats' litter boxes either. “Cat feces and urine transmit toxoplasmosis,” explains Cristina Pérez. Even so, the doctor remembers that "toxoplasmosis is transmitted by the feces and pee of cats that have it, but not by cats as such. Pregnant women can perfectly live with their cats," she warns.

Another important note is that if the infection occurs in the preconception period, that is, before you get pregnant, there is no risk. Dr. Pérez says it loud and clear: “If you are looking to get pregnant, you can perfectly eat a good sandwich of any ham.”

And if you already are, it is also possible that if your case is one of those mentioned above. If in doubt, it is still best to consult, at any time during your pregnancy, with your gynecologist.