Proponents of eating the placenta say the practice has benefits — but is that true? And what are the risks? Here’s what you need to know about eating the placenta and how to decide if it’s right for you.
Animals do it. Chinese medicine has advocated it for centuries. The practice of eating your placenta, called placentophagy, isn’t anything new, but some modern-day moms swear by it in the hopes that it will help relieve postpartum symptoms and boost milk supply as they’ve heard it can do.
But is there any truth to those theories, and is eating your placenta safe?
It’s easy to see how people might believe that the practice is beneficial. After all, the placenta is a baby’s in-utero power pack, providing a conduit for nutrients, vitamins, oxygen, and other nourishment to flow back and forth between mother and baby so your little one can grow as he should during pregnancy.
The reality, however, is that there are no proven benefits to eating your placenta in any form after birth, and there are a number of risks.
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“I asked my midwife her opinion, and she told me that there’s no conclusive evidence about [the benefits],” says What to Expect Community mom Caribbeanmama. “She said that resting, getting enough help, eating well, and taking vitamins are more helpful for postpartum than eating my placenta.”
Here’s what to know if you’re considering taking placenta pills or consuming it in another way postpartum.
Key Takeaways
- There’s no solid scientific evidence that eating your placenta has health benefits. While some moms swear it helps with energy, mood, and milk supply, studies haven’t proven any clear benefits — and what little research exists is inconclusive or based on animals, not humans.
- Eating your placenta comes with real risks — including serious infections. The placenta isn’t sterile and can carry bacteria or viruses, especially after birth. The CDC has even issued warnings after reported cases of newborn infections linked to placenta consumption.
- If you still choose to try it, take safety precautions — and talk to your doctor first. There are important steps to follow, including learning safe preparation methods. Regardless, experts recommend avoiding the practice and sticking with proven postpartum care strategies like rest, nutrition, and medical support.
Why do women eat their placentas?
The practice of eating the placenta has actually fallen out of favor in recent years, according to Shannon Smith, M.D., an OB/GYN and partner at Brigham Faulkner OB/GYN Associates in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of the What to Expect Medical Review Board. But there are still some women who want to try it. Advocates say that eating the placenta has health benefits, including warding off anemia, increasing milk supply, balancing hormones, and lowering the chances of postpartum depression (PPD).
They argue that the placenta is packed with iron and other nutrients such as vitamins B6 and B12 that can potentially lower the risk of anemia and bolster postpartum energy. The placenta is also filled with estrogen and progesterone — hormones that are abundant during pregnancy but drop after you give birth.
That sudden dip is one factor that can contribute to PPD — so proponents of the practice say consuming the placenta can help with that and other mood conditions. However, in one study where women were given either a placebo or their encapsulated placenta, there was no difference in mood, level of fatigue, or emotional bonding with their newborn.[1]
Advocates also report that consuming the placenta can increase milk supply. Prolactin is the hormone that stimulates lactation, but while estrogen and progesterone are found in the placenta, prolactin isn’t. Some studies in rats have shown prolactin production increases with the consumption of the placenta, but that hasn’t been replicated in humans.
So are there any real benefits of eating your placenta?
The truth is that the consumption of the placenta for health benefits isn’t supported by any medical or scientific evidence. Any upsides are based on hearsay, according to the scientific community.[2]
A few small studies have connected placenta-eating with increased breast milk supply and pain relief — the latter only in rats. But no studies have looked at the possible risks, if any, of ingesting human tissue.
In the case of some pregnancy conditions such as preeclampsia, for example, the placenta may contain some stress proteins. No one really knows what effect, if any, these proteins have if you consume them.
What are the risks of eating your placenta?
Experts say that eating the placenta comes with a very serious risk of infection.
That’s because during labor, the placenta is exposed to a host of bacteria. While they help keep the vagina healthy, the dilation of the cervix allows exposure of those bacteria to the uterus during labor. That, in turn, can lead to possible infection of the amniotic membranes and the placenta (chorioamnionitis). So just as you shouldn’t eat contaminated food, the same goes for the placenta, says Dr. Smith.
In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned Opens a new windowagainst the practice, due in part to an incident when a newborn was infected with Group B strep after the mother swallowed contaminated placenta capsules.[3]
The bottom line: Overwhelmingly, medical experts believe — and large studies have shown — that there’s just no proven reason to eat your placenta, and doing so comes with risks.
What to do if you decide to eat the placenta despite the risks
Still curious? Then keep the following in mind:
- Placentas are not sterile. Never eat another woman’s placenta given the risk of transmission of both viral disease and bacterial infection.
- Check with your hospital or birthing center before you go into labor. Most hospitals treat the placenta as medical or biohazardous waste and dispose of it along with the other waste, like needles and blood. If you want to keep yours, you’ll need to arrange that in advance. Check with your practitioner too. If they’re not a fan of placentophagy, you could try to find a more accommodating provider or petition for a change in procedure.
- Send it to out to be professionally prepped. The most common way to eat your placenta — and the easiest to swallow — is in pill form. In a process called placenta encapsulation, your placenta is dried, powdered, and sealed into vitamin-sized capsules. Numerous companies will do it for you, but it comes at a price. And, the CDC warns, there are no efficacy or safety standards for sterilizing and processing placentas. So although facilities test moms before birth for pre-existing infections like HIV, hepatitis B and C, herpes, chlamydia, syphilis, and Lyme disease, some do not look into infections that occur during or after birth. And while companies take steps to eliminate bacteria, these steps may or may not be sufficient to knock out all potential bad bugs.
- Follow safe-prep practices. If you opt to prep your placenta at home, DIY supplies, kits, and instructions are available online. Freeze it in a clean container or cook it right away, since it can spoil. Some new moms hire professional placenta preparers — many midwives now know how to prep a placenta too — who may dehydrate it, grind it into a powder, and turn the powder into pills that can be swallowed daily. If you go this route, make sure no other herbs or unknown ingredients are added to the mix. Other mothers with stronger stomachs cut the membranes (the thin layer of tissue) away from the placenta, then cook it like any other type of meat: in stews, spaghetti sauces, chili, or patties. Some make smoothies with frozen placenta.
- Monitor yourself. No matter how you decide to dish up your placenta, stop taking the pills or eating the meat if you feel sick after ingesting it. And if you do experience PPD, don’t wait around for the “magic” of the placenta to kick in. Talk to your doctor right away so you get proper treatment to protect yourself and your baby, which may include therapy or antidepressants.
Remember to always talk to your OB/GYN, midwife, or doctor before consuming your placenta in any form. They can also give you advice on other, less risky and more proven ways to relieve postpartum symptoms and help with milk supply.
