Should new mothers eat the placenta after giving birth?

Hyderabad: A tweet advising new mothers to eat the placenta right after giving birth is doing the rounds on social media.

The viral tweet reads, “Wanna be healthy after you have a baby? Eat your placenta!!”

Mayo Clinic explains that the placenta is an organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy. This structure provides oxygen and nutrients to a growing baby. It also removes waste products from the baby’s blood. The placenta attaches to the wall of the uterus, and the baby’s umbilical cord arises from it.

Should a new mother eat the placenta to stay healthy? Let’s find out.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found the claim to be false.

According to Mayo Clinic, “Eating your placenta after giving birth (placentophagy) can pose harm to both you and your baby.”

Highlighting the odd beliefs regarding placentrophy such as placentophagy can prevent postpartum depression, reduce postpartum bleeding, improve mood, energy and milk supply, and provide important micronutrients such as iron, Mayo Clinic says, “There’s no evidence that eating the placenta provides health benefits.”

A study titled “Consumption of Maternal Placenta in Humans and Nonhuman Mammals: Beneficial and Adverse Effects,” found that this practice might induce some health risks such as bacterial or viral infections or that the presence of trace elements could become toxic for both the mother and the baby. “Likewise, the way the placenta is prepared, whether raw, cooked, dehydrated, or encapsulated, alters its components, and thus the desired effects might be lost. Placebo-controlled studies of placental capsules have not shown significant effects on hormonal levels, milk production, and weight gain in the newborn,” it added.

On eating the placenta, WebMD says, “Those claims have not been fully tested. So, there is no proof that eating your placenta actually does these things. But some experts say we should continue to study it.”

It also adds, “Most women who want or expect to feel good or better after eating placenta do feel that way. But that may be just a placebo effect. Some women have said they feel sick after eating it.”

There is no scientific evidence that eating the placenta either raw after birth or dried in the form of a capsule provides any kind of health benefits.