Is manchego cheese safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about manchego cheese during pregnancy?

1. Soft cheese carries more Listeria risk than hard cheese mainly because of water content: higher moisture lets bacteria multiply more easily, while a harder, drier cheese has less water for bacteria to grow in. 1
2. Manchego is specifically identified as a hard, aged Spanish sheep's-milk cheese; hard cheeses in this category are typically ripened 60 to 90-plus days with moisture content not exceeding 51%, both factors that work against Listeria survival. 2
3. Listeria counts have been shown to decline steadily as a cheese's ripening time increases, in both raw-milk and pasteurized-milk cheese. 3
4. In that same research, Listeria survived measurably longer in raw-milk cheese than in pasteurized-milk cheese during ripening, which is why a pasteurized wedge, or a raw-milk wedge you know has been properly aged, is the more cautious choice. 3
5. Listeriosis, the infection linked to unsafe cheese, can cause flu-like symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, and headache, and in pregnancy it has been linked to a higher chance of miscarriage, preterm delivery, or low birth weight. 4

Is manchego cheese safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. Listeria infection early in pregnancy has been linked to a higher chance of miscarriage, so choosing a pasteurized wedge, or confirming a raw-milk Manchego has been properly aged, is worth doing from the very first trimester.
• Second trimester. As your midpregnancy cheese-board and tapas cravings pick up, the same food-safety approach still applies: pasteurized Manchego, or a well-aged, reputable raw-milk wedge, are the lower-risk picks.
• Third trimester. Later in pregnancy, a Listeria infection is more associated with preterm labor or low birth weight, so this is not a food-safety habit to relax on as you get closer to delivery.