Patient's question:
I am a 23-year-old girl, and I have been keeping a dog for 4 years. I have also been sleeping with the dog for 4 years. The dog usually stays at home, and I take it for walks on the grass occasionally once a week. It is very clean. I bathe it about twice a week. I plan to get married next year. People around me always say that sleeping with the dog will lead to children. I searched online and found that some deformities are caused by the transmission of toxoplasmosis from the dog. Can experts give me a professional opinion? If I plan to have children, can I stop sleeping with the dog then? Also, should I get tested for toxoplasmosis at the hospital before planning to have a child, or should I wait until I am pregnant?Doctor's answer:
Hello: It is recommended that you undergo the four tests for pre-natal health screening before pregnancy, which involve blood tests to check for infections with cytomegalovirus, rubella virus, herpes simplex virus, and toxoplasmosis. These four tests target microorganisms, and infections in humans often do not show obvious symptoms, making them easy to overlook. If a pregnant woman becomes infected with cytomegalovirus or herpes simplex virus, it may lead to intellectual disability, hearing and vision impairments, and language disorders in the fetus.