Is rare or medium-rare steak safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about rare or medium-rare steak during pregnancy?

1. Cooking whole-cut meat to at least 145°F with a three-minute rest, and ground meat to at least 160°F, kills the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. 1
2. Raw or undercooked meat can carry Toxoplasma, Listeria, E. coli, and other germs that can affect a pregnancy if you become infected. 2
3. Ground beef needs to reach a higher temperature than a whole steak, since grinding can spread contamination throughout the meat instead of keeping it on the surface. 3
4. Most toxoplasmosis infections in pregnant people in the U.S. come from undercooked meat or contaminated produce and soil, not from cats themselves. 4

Is rare or medium-rare steak safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. A first-trimester Toxoplasma infection is less likely to pass to the baby than later in pregnancy, but when it does, the effects tend to be more serious. That's why many providers are especially firm about this cooking guidance early on.
• Second trimester. The chance of the infection passing to the baby rises in the second trimester. The same 145°F cooking guidance still applies.
• Third trimester. The chance of transmission is highest in the third trimester, though effects on the baby tend to be milder. Keep following the same cooking guidance.