Should You Be Eating Your Own Placenta?

By Mary Anne R. Aug 05 2020, 04:42 AM EDT

Many women, including some well-known personalities, have reported eating their own placentas after giving birth. It might be controversial to some, but eating a placenta is not that uncommon.

In fact, the placenta has been dried and made into pills. Some consumed it by mixing it with smoothies.

Reports said the most common way to consume the placenta is through encapsulation, wherein the placenta is steamed, dried, and grounded into a fine powder. Many believed that it could help a woman's body get back after childbirth.

Some famous personalities, who ate their placentas, were Kim Kardashian, Nikki Reed, Chrissy Teigen, Hilary Duff, Katherine Heigl, and recently American reality television personality Kailyn Lowry.

Lowry shared a photo of her drinking a placenta smoothie with a caption, "If you guessed my placenta, you're right!"

She also wrote that the drink was blended with fresh fruit and almond milk, adding that she could not taste the placenta.

With all these famous personalities doing the eat-your-own-placenta practice, you probably think if you should do it as well.

Are There Benefits?

The placenta is an organ that plays an important part in pregnancy as it connects you and your baby in the uterus. It delivers oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to your child.

The placenta also takes away the waste that your baby makes. It grows throughout your pregnancy .After giving birth, you will not need the placenta anymore.

If your baby is delivered through vaginal delivery, you will push out the placenta vaginally. However, if you delivered your baby through a C-section, your doctor will have to remove your placenta.

There are claims that the placenta can raise your energy, increase breast milk quantity, and level out your hormones. Eating a placenta can also help decrease the risk of postpartum depression and supplement needed nutrients.

As positive as these claims sound, there is still no evidence from human studies to support them.

In animals, however, eating the placenta has some advantages. In a female dog, it was reported that it reduces the labor pains and encourages the mother to bond with the newborn pups.

Are There Risks?

Eating your placenta might have risks as it may be contaminated with harmful bacteria, especially if eaten raw.

Reports said the placenta might be a source of potentially harmful substances. During pregnancy, the placenta regulates the transfer of substances between the mother and the baby. Thus, there could be an accumulated toxic substance. However, there are only a few studies on the toxicity of eating the placenta.

Placenta pills could also be contaminated with harmful bacteria, such as what happened to an infant diagnosed with a fatal condition caused by toxic bacteria. It was found that the placenta capsules consumed by the infant's mother tested positive for the bacteria that eventually became a potential source of the infant's infection.

Reports on contaminated placenta pills are rare, but side effects are more commonly reported. These side effects include headaches and unpleasant taste to the capsules.

With the lack of evidence and studies on the benefits and risks of eating the placenta, it is still up to you if you want to do it. However, it is essential to consult your doctor first before doing so.