• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Pregnancy Logo 2018

Pregnancy Magazine

Pregnancy and infancy news, tips, and reviews

“Great
  • Pregnancy
  • Labor & Delivery
  • Baby
  • Breastfeeding
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Buyer’s Guide

Is it really true that some people eat the placenta?

10/21/2013 by Pregnancy Editors Leave a Comment

Whether you’re a first time mother or you’ve given birth a few times already, chances are you know by now what the placenta is. It’s the organ that develops during pregnancy to connect the fetus to the uterine wall, allowing nutrients to pass through, wastes to be eliminated and gases to be exchanged between the mother and her unborn child. It’s usually expelled after the baby is delivered – and after that, many moms never think about it again.

However, some moms these days have been turning to the trend of placentophagy, or the act of eating the placenta, in order to reap the supposed benefits. Yes, people really do eat the placenta – it’s not a myth. Here’s what you need to know.

How is it eaten?
You might be picturing women simply using a fork and knife to cut into a placenta like they would a steak – but (usually) this isn’t the case. Many women choose to have the placenta dehydrated and encapsulated to form pills, which are relatively easy to stomach. However, other moms use the dehydrated powder to enrich their smoothies, while some choose to make stews, stir-fry or other elaborate recipes.

What are the supposed benefits?
There are many claims surrounding the benefits of ingesting the placenta after pregnancy. Since the placenta is what delivers nutrients to the baby and is believed to contain many of the mother’s natural hormones, people believe that it can help the mother gain necessary nourishment after giving birth. Moms also believe they can get more energy by eating the placenta, and some think eating it may help relieve postpartum depression. Some profess that it can also increase iron levels and improve milk production if a mother is breastfeeding.

Has science proved these claims?
Thus far, there haven’t been any significant studies that have validated these benefits. However, researchers have looked at why some other animals eat the placenta after giving birth. Mark Kristal, a professor at State University of New York at Buffalo, wrote a doctoral dissertation in 1971 that focused on why animals eat their placentas. He told USA Today that animals that don’t eat the placenta after birth don’t experience negative side effects.

“People can believe what they want, but there’s no research to substantiate claims of human benefit,” Kristal told the news source. “The cooking process will destroy all the protein and the hormones. … Drying it out or freezing it would destroy other things.”

When it comes down to it, there’s no need for you to choke down the placenta if you don’t want to, but if it appeals to you, then go for it!

Filed Under: Pregnancy Health Tagged With: Pregnancy Health, Pregnancy Lifestyle

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

More to See

parent coaching

Parent Coaching: 3 Ways to Create a More Joyful Home

05/11/2021 By Sarah Moore

The perfect workout for pregnant women (sponsored)

03/28/2019 By Isa Herrera, MSPT CSCS

Which baby nursery theme is perfect for your little one?

04/30/2022 By Sammi DeRosia

brain body parenting

Brain-Body Parenting: 3 Ways Dr. Mona Delahooke’s New Book Can Help Families Thrive

02/22/2022 By Sarah Moore

Footer

Copyright 2021 Pregnancy Magazine Group

Emails powered by Wishpond: PregnancyWishpond

Dedicated WordPress hosting: PregnancyFlywheel

WordPress Theme: PregnancyTheme

This website provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for an examination by your healthcare provider. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Please review the Terms of Use before using this site. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by the Terms of Use.

 

Recent

  • Are You Ready to Adopt A Child? Here Are the Top 7 Indications 
  • Which baby nursery theme is perfect for your little one?
  • Brain-Body Parenting: 3 Ways Dr. Mona Delahooke’s New Book Can Help Families Thrive
  • 4th Trimester: How to Survive Baby’s Astounding (and Exhausting!) First Three Months
  • Want a Happy Child? Here are 10 Scientifically Proven Ways to Raise Kids Who Love Life

Search

© Copyright 2021 Pregnancy Magazine Group · All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT