Can I Eat Gorgonzola Cheese During Pregnancy?

If you're pregnant, being careful about the foods you eat can help to protect your growing baby’s health.

While cheese serves as a good source of calcium and protein, soft and semi-soft cheeses like gorgonzola can sometimes harm an unborn baby unless you cook them until they’re steaming hot before consumption.

Talk to your doctor about the risks of soft cheeses and which types to avoid during pregnancy.

Listeria and Unpasteurized Soft Cheeses

The link between soft cheeses and listeria infection relates to the use of unpasteurized milk in cheese production. Also known as "raw" milk, unpasteurized milk can carry the Listeria monocytogenes bacterium, as well as various other disease-causing organisms.

These bacteria can cause listeriosis, one of the most severe foodborne illnesses. Pregnant individuals are ten times more likely to develop listeriosis than those who are not pregnant. Vomiting and diarrhea can lead to excessive fluid loss, leading to dehydration, as well as risking preterm labor, miscarriage, or stillbirth.

According to the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA), research has found that the rinds of gorgonzola are more likely to have Listeria contamination than the center of the cheese.

The FSA also maintains that they consider the risk of getting listeriosis from blue cheese consumption by vulnerable individuals (such as those who are pregnant) to be very low, meaning that it’s rare but they can’t rule it out altogether. However, in those who do develop listeriosis, the risk of life-threatening disease or chronic complications is high.

Which types of soft cheese are dangerous during pregnancy?

According to the American Pregnancy Association, several types of imported soft cheese can increase your risk of developing listeria infection, including:

• Brie
• Camembert
• Roquefort
• Feta
• Gorgonzola
• Mexican-style cheeses such as queso blanco and queso fresco

Talk to your doctor before eating any of these cheeses during pregnancy. As Listeria can cross the placenta when it enters your body, it can infect your baby and cause septicemia, commonly known as blood poisoning.

Is Eating Gorgonzola Ever Safe During Pregnancy?

Based on the various warnings about gorgonzola and other semi-soft and soft cheeses, many pregnant women feel they must avoid these cheeses altogether.

However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stipulates that you can eat soft cheeses if their labels indicate that they are pasteurized. Pasteurized versions of some soft cheeses, including gorgonzola, are available. All non-imported soft cheeses that use pasteurized rather than unpasteurized milk are safe during pregnancy.

According to the CDC, heating pasteurized soft cheeses to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit or until steaming hot is much safer during pregnancy than eating unheated soft cheese made from raw milk.

Symptoms of Listeriosis

Listeriosis can cause flu-like symptoms, including:

• Fever
• Muscle aches
• Stomach upset, including diarrhea

It can also lead to the following nervous system symptoms:

• Headache
• Stiff neck
• Confusion
• Balance issues

Symptoms can develop up to two months after consuming a contaminated food product, and many pregnant people don’t experience any symptoms. Even in symptomless listeriosis, Listeria can pass from the mother to the fetus and cause complications.

Call your doctor immediately if you feel you might have listeriosis. Antibiotics can treat the infection.