Can You Eat Oysters While Pregnant? Risks, Benefits, and Safety Tips

If you’re craving oysters or other shellfish, you might be wondering if they’re safe for you and your baby, considering that a lot of seafood is on the list of foods to avoid during pregnancy.

Read on to learn whether you can include oysters in your pregnancy diet, what the potential risks are, and how to safely enjoy seafood when you’re pregnant.

There’s good news for seafood aficionados; it’s usually safe to eat oysters when you’re pregnant. However, while cooked varieties are safe, you’ll need to stay away from raw or undercooked oysters.

Why you should be cautious about certain kinds of seafood during pregnancy

By now, you’ve probably heard a million times that certain types of seafood are bad for you when you’re expecting.

There are two main reasons why you’ll need to be careful about seafood when you’re pregnant:

Mercury exposure

Many types of seafood have high levels of mercury, which you can pass to your baby in the womb. Mercury can damage your baby’s developing brain and nervous system, resulting in impaired cognitive and motor skills, blindness, seizures, and the inability to speak. 1 2

Luckily, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers oysters one of the “best choices” for low-mercury, pregnancy-safe seafood. 3

Still, that doesn’t mean you can go crazy. Moderation is important, even for safer options like oysters. Aim for two to three servings (8 to 12 ounces total) of cooked oysters and other low-mercury seafood per week. 3 This amount lets you enjoy seafood every now and then while keeping your baby safe.

Foodborne pathogens

Eating raw seafood (including many varities of sushi, ceviche, and oysters) during pregnancy is a huge no-no. The primary concern is the risk of foodborne illness. Like many raw foods, raw oysters can harbor bacteria and viruses that are particularly dangerous for pregnant women.

When you’re pregnant, your immune system is suppressed. As a result, you’re far more susceptible to infections from harmful bacteria like Vibrio vulnificus and Shigella, as well as parasites like Toxoplasma gondii. 4

Infections from these pathogens can lead to various types of miscarriages, stillbirth, or premature delivery. 5

Can you eat smoked raw oysters during pregnancy?

It’s best to avoid smoked oysters, as the smoking process doesn’t always cook them to a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria. It’s probably OK to eat them if they’re canned, shelf-stable, or an ingredient in a cooked dish like a casserole, but otherwise, stay away. 6

Stick to thoroughly cooked oysters to minimize the risk to your baby’s development while still getting their health benefits, which we’ll explore in the next section.

Oysters are full of nutrients that support moms-to-be and developing babies, including: 7 8

• Omega-3 fatty acids: These “good” fats support your baby’s brain, nervous system, and eye development. On top of that, these fats also decrease your risk of preeclampsia (a dangerous form of high blood pressure during pregnancy), postpartum depression, and preterm labor. 9
• Iron: This nutrient helps to prevent anemia, which is a common concern for moms-to-be. 10 Your body needs extra iron during pregnancy to support you and deliver oxygen to your baby. 11 12
• Zinc: You need zinc to keep your immune system healthy, as well as for facilitating cell growth and wound healing. Your baby also needs zinc to grow and develop properly. 13
• Vitamin B12: This B vitamin, also known as cobalamin, helps form your baby’s brain and spinal cord, reducing her risk of birth defects affecting these areas. 14
• Iodine: Cooked oysters provide iodine, which helps regulate thyroid hormones. These hormones regulate your metabolism, make proteins, and aid in your baby’s skeletal and cognitive development. 15
• Protein: Oysters are a great source of protein, which fuels the growth of your baby, placenta, and breasts. Protein will also support your increased blood volume during pregnancy. 16
• Choline: Make sure you get this nutrient for the healthy development of your baby’s brain and spinal cord, along with the placenta. It’ll also help reduce your baby’s risk of birth defects. 12 17

You already know you shouldn’t eat raw or undercooked oysters, but you don’t have to completely forgo oysters during pregnancy. Fully cooked oysters are generally safe to eat and can provide valuable nutrients.

If you’re at a restaurant, make sure you ask for fully cooked oysters. If you plan to cook oysters yourself, use these cooking and hygiene practices: 18 19

• Buy high-quality oysters: Only buy oysters from reputable sources. Look for a processor’s certification number on the tags or labels of the oyster packaging that indicates they were processed following safety regulations. 20 Discard any oysters with cracked or broken shells.
• Check to make sure they’re alive: Before cooking, tap the oyster shells. Live oysters should close their shells when you tap them. Throw out any that don’t close.
• Cook them thoroughly: Boil oysters until their shells open, and then continue cooking them for another 3–5 minutes. Alternatively, if you’re steaming, add them to a steamer once your water is already steaming and cook for 4–9 minutes. Whether you’re boiling or steaming, toss out the ones that didn’t open.

Once they’re cooked, keep the oysters away from other raw seafood and their juices to avoid cross-contamination.

How to cook shucked oysters

For shucked oysters (those without their shells), here’s how to cook them at home: 19

• Boil for at least 3 minutes
• Fry in oil for 3 minutes at 375 °F
• Broil for 3 minutes, positioning them 3 inches from the heat source
• Bake for 10 minutes at 450 °F

Note that cooked oyster flesh should appear milky white and firm. 21

Even if you think you cooked your oysters perfectly, you should still keep an eye out for signs that you contracted a foodborne illness after consuming them.

Call your doctor immediately if you experience: 5 22

• Fever or chills
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Stomach ache
• Muscle or joint pain
• Headache
• Swollen lymph nodes

These symptoms may start hours to weeks after eating contaminated food, depending on the infection. If you accidentally ate raw or undercooked seafood or are otherwise suspicious you ate contaminated oysters, don’t hesitate to contact your doctor.  5

Symptoms that require emergency attention

Seek immediate medical attention if you: 23 24

• Vomit multiple times in a short period so that you can’t keep liquids down
• Have diarrhea that persists over the course of a day
• Have bloody vomit or poop
• Have a high fever (over 102 °F)
• Develop signs of dehydration (infrequent urination, dry mouth and throat, or dizziness when standing up)

If you’re not a fan of oysters or prefer to avoid them during pregnancy for safety reasons, you can still get the same nutrients from other sources.

The FDA recommends that pregnant women eat other low-mercury seafood options that are rich in omega-3s, such as: 3

• Salmon
• Sardines
• Shrimp
• Scallops
• Crab
• Pollock

Ask your doctor about taking fish oil and flaxseed (ground or oil) supplements, which also provide omega-3 fatty acids. 25 12

Moreover, make sure you continue taking your prenatal vitamins daily (and whatever else your doctor prescribes). Even if your diet is good, prenatals ensure you’ll get those all-important nutrients like folic acid, iron, calcium, vitamin D, choline, omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and vitamin C.

Oysters are tasty, but like all foods during pregnancy, you need to make sure they’re prepared properly. Remember—only eat oysters when they’re thoroughly cooked, and keep your eyes peeled for any signs of foodborne illness or poisoning.

If you have any concerns, don’t be afraid to ask your doctor for personalized dietary advice.