Steak should reach an internal temperature of at least 145°F (63°C) during pregnancy, followed by a three-minute rest before cutting or eating. This is the standard set by both the FDA and CDC for whole cuts of beef, veal, lamb, and pork. That rest period matters because the internal temperature continues climbing 3 to 6 degrees after you pull the steak off the heat, which helps eliminate harmful bacteria throughout the meat.
Why 145°F Is the Magic Number
Two pathogens make undercooked beef risky during pregnancy: Toxoplasma gondii and Listeria monocytogenes. Your immune system naturally dials down during pregnancy to protect the baby, which makes you more vulnerable to both.
Toxoplasma is a parasite that forms cysts in meat tissue. Cooking beef to the 60–70°C range (140–158°F) throughout the cut is enough to destroy those cysts. At 145°F with the three-minute rest, temperatures inside the steak climb into that lethal zone. Listeria, a bacterium, is also rapidly killed at these temperatures. Lab data shows that at 145°F, Listeria populations in beef drop by 90% in under a minute, meaning the three-minute rest provides a wide safety margin.
What 145°F Looks Like on Your Plate
A steak pulled at 145°F and rested for three minutes lands somewhere between medium and medium-well. The center will have a warm pink color but no red, and there won’t be any bloody juices. If you typically order medium-rare or rare, this will feel more done than you’re used to, but it doesn’t have to be gray and dry. Pulling the steak right at 145°F rather than overcooking it keeps it juicy while staying in the safe zone.
The UK’s NHS takes a stricter position, advising pregnant women to cook beef until there’s “no trace of pink or blood.” That pushes closer to well-done territory (around 160°F). If you want extra reassurance, cooking to that level eliminates any guesswork, though it’s not required by U.S. guidelines.
Ground Beef Needs a Higher Temperature
Whole-muscle steaks and ground beef have different rules. Ground beef must reach 160°F (71°C) during pregnancy, with no rest time needed. The reason comes down to where bacteria live. On a whole steak, pathogens sit on the outer surface, and searing kills them quickly. The interior of an intact muscle is largely sterile. But grinding mixes surface bacteria throughout the meat, so every part of a burger needs to hit the higher temperature.
This means steak tartare, carpaccio, and rare burgers are all off the table during pregnancy. Even a burger that looks brown inside can be undercooked. A thermometer is the only reliable way to check.
How to Use a Meat Thermometer Correctly
Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the steak, avoiding any bone or gristle, which can give a falsely high reading. For thinner cuts like flank steak or skirt steak, slide the probe in from the side so the tip reaches the center. You’re looking for the coldest spot in the meat, which is always the geometric center of the thickest section.
An instant-read digital thermometer gives you a result in a few seconds and costs under $15. It’s far more reliable than cutting the steak open to check the color, which lets juices escape and doesn’t tell you the actual temperature. If you don’t already own one, this is a worthwhile purchase that stays useful well beyond pregnancy.
Why the Risk Matters
Toxoplasmosis is the bigger concern with undercooked beef. About 29% of pregnancies where the mother contracts the infection result in the parasite crossing the placenta to the baby. The timing of infection changes the severity dramatically. Infection during the first trimester transmits to the fetus only 10–15% of the time, but when it does, the consequences tend to be most severe, including miscarriage, stillbirth, and serious neurological damage. Third-trimester infections transmit more often but typically cause milder symptoms.
The most common effect of congenital toxoplasmosis is eye disease, found in about 22% of diagnosed babies in one large study. Other complications include abnormal skull growth (9% of symptomatic cases), brain calcifications, seizures, and vision problems ranging from mild impairment to blindness. Many infected babies appear healthy at birth but develop symptoms months or years later.
Listeria infection during pregnancy can cause premature birth, miscarriage, or life-threatening infection in the newborn. These outcomes are rare in absolute terms, but pregnant women are roughly 10 times more susceptible to Listeria than the general population, which is why food safety guidelines are stricter.
Eating Steak at Restaurants
Ordering steak while pregnant is perfectly fine as long as you request medium-well or well-done. You can also ask the kitchen to temp-check the steak before serving, though not all restaurants will do this. If your steak arrives and the center looks red or feels cool, send it back. A warm pink center is acceptable under U.S. guidelines, but anything cooler than that likely hasn’t hit 145°F.
Skip any dishes that feature seared-on-the-outside, raw-on-the-inside preparations like tataki or Pittsburgh-style steak. And avoid tasting raw or undercooked meat while cooking at home, even a small nibble to check seasoning.