Can You Eat Shrimp While Pregnant? Mercury, Safe Cooking and How Much Is OK

Can you eat shrimp while pregnant? Yes: fully cooked shrimp is a low mercury “Best Choice” in the FDA and EPA advice on eating fish, which suggests 2 to 3 servings (8 to 12 ounces) of Best Choice seafood a week during pregnancy.

Shrimp is one of the easiest seafoods to fit into pregnancy. It is low in mercury, mild in flavor and quick to cook. The real rules are about cooking and handling, not about shrimp itself.

This guide covers the FDA and EPA mercury chart, how much shrimp you can eat in a week, how to tell when it is cooked, what to do about shrimp cocktail, sushi and smoked seafood, and when to call your provider.

Can You Eat Shrimp While Pregnant? The Short Answer

Two things decide whether seafood is a good pick in pregnancy: mercury and germs. Shrimp passes the mercury test easily. Germs depend on handling and cooking, which is why raw and undercooked seafood, not shrimp itself, is what pregnancy guidance tells you to avoid.

The guidance is the same in your first trimester and your third trimester.

Why Shrimp Is a Low Mercury Best Choice

The FDA notes that it is important to limit mercury in the diets of those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, so the FDA and EPA sort common seafood into three groups: Best Choices, Good Choices and Choices to Avoid. Shrimp is a Best Choice, and a footnote in the advice even names it among the Best Choices that are “even lower in mercury.”

The FDA also says to choose a variety of lower mercury fish. For fish caught by family or friends, check local advisories; if there is none, the FDA says to eat only one serving and no other fish that week.

Benefits of Eating Shrimp and Other Seafood in Pregnancy

Seafood is encouraged in pregnancy. The FDA says fish provide key nutrients that support a child’s brain development, and that fish intake during pregnancy is recommended because moderate scientific evidence shows it can help your baby’s cognitive development.

The nutrients the FDA lists for fish include omega-3 fats (DHA and EPA), iron, iodine during pregnancy, and choline, which the FDA says also supports development of the baby’s spinal cord.

Seafood works alongside, not instead of, your prenatal vitamin.

How Much Shrimp Can You Eat While Pregnant?

For pregnancy and breastfeeding, one serving is 4 ounces, and the FDA suggests the palm of your hand as a guide. Two to three Best Choice servings a week equals 8 to 12 ounces.

The weekly target is a guide for good habits, not a limit to measure to the ounce. If the smell of cooking shrimp bothers you during nausea, try it cold in a cooked shrimp salad, or come back to it in the second trimester.

How to Cook Shrimp Safely During Pregnancy

Cooking is what makes shrimp safe. The FDA says to cook most seafood to an internal temperature of 145 F, and FoodSafety.gov, the federal food safety site, says all seafood dishes should be cooked to 145 F (63 C) for people who are pregnant.

Shrimp is small, so a thermometer is not always practical. The FDA gives visual signs instead: the flesh of shrimp, scallops, crab and lobster turns firm, pearly and opaque when it is done. Cut the largest one open: there should be no glassy, translucent center.

Raw and Undercooked Shellfish: What to Skip and Why

FoodSafety.gov says raw seafood may contain parasites or germs, including Listeria, which can make pregnant women sick and could potentially harm their babies. Its list of foods to avoid during pregnancy includes raw sushi, sashimi, raw oysters, raw clams, raw scallops and ceviche.

• Listeria: the CDC says symptoms in pregnant women are usually mild or absent, but infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery or a life threatening infection of the newborn.
• Vibrio: the CDC says most people get vibriosis by eating raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly oysters. Symptoms include watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills, and Vibrio are found in higher numbers from May through October, when water is warmer.
• Norovirus: the CDC says noroviruses are relatively resistant to heat and that quick steaming will not heat shellfish enough to kill them. It advises cooking oysters and other shellfish thoroughly to an internal temperature of at least 145 F.

For clams, mussels and oysters, the FDA says to cook until the shells open and to throw away any that do not open.

Smoked Seafood, Shrimp Cocktail and Other Gray Areas

Refrigerated smoked seafood. FoodSafety.gov says refrigerated smoked seafood presents a real threat of Listeria. That includes smoked salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna or mackerel, often labeled nova style, lox, kippered, smoked or jerky. Do not eat it unless it is in a cooked dish that reaches an internal temperature of 165 F (74 C). Smoked seafood that is canned or shelf stable is OK, as is smoked fish baked into a casserole or other cooked dish.

Shrimp cocktail. Shrimp cocktail uses shrimp that is already cooked, so the question is freshness and temperature. FoodSafety.gov singles out smoked seafood, not plain cooked shrimp, but cooked shrimp is still perishable. The FDA says to keep cold seafood refrigerated until serving and not to leave seafood out for more than 2 hours, or more than 1 hour when temperatures are above 90 F. At a party, pick shrimp from a tray set on ice and skip anything that has sat out.

Buying, Storing and Handling Shrimp: A Safety Checklist

The FDA guidance on selecting and serving seafood boils down to this checklist.

• Buy cold: only buy seafood that is refrigerated or displayed on a thick bed of fresh ice.
• Use your nose: seafood should smell fresh and mild, not fishy, sour or like ammonia.
• Check frozen packages: skip torn or crushed packages and ones with frost or ice crystals, a sign of thawing and refreezing.
• Store it fast: refrigerate seafood you will use within 2 days at 40 F or below; otherwise wrap it tightly and freeze it.
• Thaw safely: in the refrigerator overnight, or sealed in a bag in cold water.
• Keep raw away from ready to eat: wash hands, cutting boards and counters with hot soapy water between raw seafood and cooked or fresh foods.
• Cook it through: 145 F, or firm, pearly and opaque flesh.

Frozen shrimp thaws quickly in cold water and cooks in minutes, a handy shortcut on days when pregnancy brain makes meal planning hard.

Other Seafood During Pregnancy: A Quick Guide

Here is how other common seafood lines up on the FDA and EPA chart.

More pregnancy food and drink questions: chamomile tea during pregnancy and melatonin while pregnant.

Shellfish Allergy and Pregnancy

If you are allergic to shellfish, keep avoiding it. Mayo Clinic notes that shrimp is a crustacean, like crab, lobster, crayfish and prawn. Shellfish allergy can begin at any age, and Mayo Clinic says it is the most common food allergy in adults. Symptoms generally start within minutes to an hour after eating or touching shellfish and can include hives, itchy skin, nasal congestion, swelling, stomach symptoms and trouble breathing.

Anaphylaxis, the severe form, needs an epinephrine injection right away and an emergency room visit, per Mayo Clinic. Its signs are listed in the last section below.

Wondering about your baby’s future allergies? Talk with your provider before cutting foods out of your pregnancy diet, and when the time comes, our guide on how to introduce allergens to your baby walks through the infant side.

What If You Already Ate Raw or Undercooked Shrimp?

Try not to panic. Know what to watch for, and tell your provider.

• Watch for stomach symptoms: the CDC says intestinal Listeria illness usually starts within 24 hours of eating contaminated food, and Vibrio causes watery diarrhea, cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills.
• Watch for fever and flu-like symptoms for about 2 weeks: the CDC says invasive Listeria illness usually starts within 2 weeks of eating contaminated food, with fever, muscle aches and fatigue.
• Know about recalls: the CDC says telling your provider about a recalled food you ate is especially important if you are pregnant.

If you get diarrhea, our guide to diarrhea during pregnancy covers fluids and warning signs.

Related Betteroo Guides

• First Trimester Guide
• Second Trimester Guide
• Prenatal Vitamins
• Diarrhea During Pregnancy
• Chamomile Tea During Pregnancy
• 28 Weeks Pregnant

When to Call Your Provider

Call 911 or go to the emergency room right away if, after eating shrimp or any shellfish, you have signs of a severe allergic reaction (Mayo Clinic):

• Trouble breathing.
• A swollen or tight throat.
• Signs of shock, such as a rapid or weak pulse.
• Swelling along with hives or other allergy symptoms that are getting worse quickly.

Call your OB, midwife or doctor the same day if:

• You have a fever or flu-like symptoms: such as muscle aches and fatigue, especially after eating raw or undercooked seafood or a recalled food (CDC).
• You have vomiting, watery diarrhea or stomach cramps: after eating seafood (CDC), or you cannot keep fluids down.
• You ate a food named in a recall or outbreak: even if you feel fine. Listeria can infect the fetus even if the mother does not feel sick (FoodSafety.gov).
• You had mild allergy symptoms: such as hives or itching after shellfish.

If you are unsure, call. This article is general education, not medical advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related reading: for cooking times by size, see how long to boil shrimp, fresh or frozen.