To Eat or Not to Eat: Should You Eat Your Placenta?

A pregnant woman who is gently cradling her belly.

Towards the end of 2015, Kim Kardashian announced that after the birth of her son, she had been taking medication that greatly improved her mood and prevented postpartum depression (Mechlin, 2015). The magic behind this medication? Participation in autocannibalism, in the form of eating her placenta that was dried and blended into a pill. The placenta is an organ formed in the womb to help filter waste and provide nutrients to the fetus during pregnancy. The act of consuming the placenta after parturition is known as placentophagy, though it is not practiced widely in humans. Despite studies concerning placentophagy being scarce, proponents of consumption have attested to the practice providing several health benefits, such as replenishing lost nutrients, increasing milk production, and improving mood and overall recovery. However, scientists have mainly issued recommendations against practicing placentophagy, as its claims of both mental and physical health benefits lack substantial evidence and point more towards risk than reward.

Placentophagy in Animals and Humans

            Peripartum placentophagia has been widely documented in most nonhuman mammals, and several hypotheses have been presented for why animals do this. Among these hypotheses are: keeping the nest sanitary, eliminating odors that may attract predators, satisfying hunger after giving birth, providing extra nutrients, and reacquiring hormones that are present in the placenta (Kristal et al., 2012). Supporters of placentophagy refer to fellow mammals as justification for the practice and its benefits. While a number of these hypotheses do align with their claims, researchers have found that maternal placentophagy is a widely undocumented, near non-existent practice in humans.

Young and Benyshek (2010) conducted a cross-cultural ethnographic survey (collected data about a group's culture and everyday life) that searched for any beliefs regarding consumption, treatment, and disposal of the placenta. Across 179 cultures around the globe, they found only one instance of maternal placentophagy being mentioned: an account by two midwives for a Mexican-American mother in Texas, cooking the placenta for "a surge of energy." When it comes to finding further evidence of humans following the patterns of other mammals' maternal placentophagy, there isn't any record of humans participating.

A 1985 study found results which suggest that the ingestion of some afterbirth from the licking of genitals during labor may provide an analgesic effect in rodents (Kristal et al., 1985). Some scientists have thus proposed that the big evolutionary differences between Homo sapiens and our mammalian peers may be the reason humans have adapted to go without the practice. Humans have a strong biological drive for deep social connection, which has changed the context of childbirth. In ancestral environments, ingesting the placenta may have provided natural analgesia that increased a mother's chances of survival. In contrast, modern births typically occur in socially rich settings, with multiple caregivers and supporters present. This social support reduces survival pressure and the biological incentive to rely on placentophagy for pain relief and recovery (Kristal et al., 2012).

Ultimately, very few of these hypotheses have ever been analytically tested, and the benefits of placentophagy in animals are also not well understood. Consequently, the applicability of using animal behavior to justify human healthcare has major limitations.

A joyful moment captured between a mother and her laughing baby, showcasing love and tenderness on a cozy bed.

Do the Claimed Benefits Stand Up or Fall Apart?

Placentophagists allege that eating the placenta provides several health benefits, including increased lactation, decreased risk of postpartum depression, and replenishment of lost nutrients.

1. Milk Production and Lactation

   
   

In a study by Selander et al. (2013), 15% of 189 surveyed women reported they experienced an improvement in milk production due to consuming their placenta. Some suggest that this might stem from the placenta containing many types of hormones that maintain pregnancy, including estrogen, which stimulates the production of another hormone in charge of milk synthesis, prolactin. The concentration of hormones in the placenta is not well established, and whether they are transferable via ingestion in an amount that may cause physiological effects is a presumption (Hayes, 2016). A bigger concern was that this study did not include a control group and was based on a survey of women who had already chosen to consume their placenta and were reporting perceived effects. The authors note that further research is needed to determine whether reported benefits exceed placebo or are biased by the nature of the sample. In some experiments, placebo effects (improvements in symptoms that occur after a person receives an inactive or sham treatment) are much higher than 15%. As such it is very likely that the effects seen were placebo effects.

Moreover, the hormones present in the placenta could actually prevent lactation. Based on current evidence of postpartum women on hormonal contraceptives, excess estrogen and progesterone exposure may adversely affect milk volume during the first few weeks of breastfeeding. During pregnancy, the high levels of estrogen and progesterone in the body not only help create peak levels of prolactin, but also block the effect it has on the breasts. It is only after delivery that estrogen and progesterone levels drop dramatically, and prolactin is able to initiate lactation. Women who take contraceptives containing estrogen right after pregnancy experience lower milk production (Truitt et al., 2003). As such, receiving placental estrogen would likely create the same effects of decreasing overall milk volume.

2. Nutrients vs. Contaminants

   
   

            The placenta is well known for providing the fetus with nutrients during development. However, the placenta is also responsible for filtering out certain molecules and harmful substances before they reach the fetus. Unlike other filtering organs like the liver and kidney, the placenta is not able to break down toxins and can begin to accumulate harmful materials in its tissue (Bloom et al., 2022). Researchers are thus concerned about the potential of heavy metals, toxins, and contaminants being reintroduced to a mother's body via placentophagy. Pathogens from those who handle the placenta or from underprepared tissue can also expose the mother to an infection. The CDC has issued recommendations against consuming the placenta, mainly due to one mother's placental pills testing positive for Group B Streptococcus (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2017). After the mother was infected with this pathogen, it was only days later that it had spread to the infant. Currently, regulations and standards for processing the placenta are not adequate for completely freeing the tissue of pathogens.

3. Postpartum Depression and Mood Improvement

   
   

            Selander et al.'s (2013) study of women's experience with placenta consumption found that improved mood, an increase in energy, and less fatigue were all motivations for participating in the practice. As previously noted, this study lacked a control group, making it difficult to determine any benefits. Research into this improvement in mood has also been attributed to potential replenishment of nutrients from the placenta.

            One claim included the recovery of iron and prevention of iron-deficient anemia. In a double-blind study by Gryder et al. (2016), they discovered that while placenta pills contained a higher average percentage of iron than beef placebo pills, the actual hemoglobin and ferritin levels in both groups of women were not significantly different. Additionally, the placenta pill contains only 24% of the recommended daily allowance of iron for lactating women, raising concerns for its effectiveness in being an adequate source of iron for an anemic patient.

            Another proposed mechanism argues that placental vitamin B helps with the prevention of postpartum depression. Current studies do show that lower levels of vitamin B are a feature expressed in depressed individuals, as some vitamin B's help with the synthesis of serotonin (Sangle et al., 2021). While there are many promising correlations between vitamin B supplementation and depression treatment, uncertainty arises when considering how under-researched placentophagy's benefits are, as, again, the concentration of nutrients contained in the placenta and transferred by dietary supplementation is not yet known.

Conclusion

The claims of benefits from eating placenta after giving birth have very little scientific backing. The current information suggests that the benefits of eating the placenta were placebo effects. Due to the lack of evidence, scientists and child care providers recommend that people consider not just the unverified potential benefits, but also, more importantly, the potential risks that come with consuming afterbirth.

It is clear though, with more and more women turning to any means to find relief, that current research and clinical practice regarding postpartum care is lacking. There is an obvious need for regulations for placenta preparation and resources for more extensive research and trials. In the end, if you're looking for a proven postpartum treatment, the evidence suggests you're better off eating a nutritious snack than your own afterbirth.

Until better evidence arrives, the placenta may be more useful for making headlines than for making medicine.

Written by Anna Zhang, and edited by Aldrin V. Gomes, PhD

References

1. Mechling, Lauren. (2015, December 15). The Placenta Pill Phenomenon: Behind Kim Kardashian West's Post-Pregnancy Health Obsession. Vogue. vogue.com https://www.vogue.com/article/kim-kardashian-placenta-eating-health-benefits-and-risks

2. Kristal, M. B., DiPirro, J. M., & Thompson, A. C. (2012). Placentophagia in Humans and Nonhuman Mammals: Causes and Consequences. Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 51(3), 177–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/03670244.2012.661325

3. Kristal MB, Thompson AC, Grishkat HL. (1985). Placenta ingestion enhances opiate analgesia in rats. Physiol Behav. 35(4):481-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9384(85)90127-1.

4. Young, S. M., & Benyshek, D. C. (2010). In Search of Human Placentophagy: A Cross-Cultural Survey of Human Placenta Consumption, Disposal Practices, and Cultural Beliefs. Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 49(6), 467–484. https://doi.org/10.1080/03670244.2010.524106

5. Selander, J., Cantor, A., Young, S. M., & Benyshek, D. C. (2013). Human Maternal Placentophagy: A Survey of Self-Reported Motivations and Experiences Associated with Placenta Consumption. Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 52(2), 93–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/03670244.2012.719356

6. Hayes EH (2016). Consumption of the Placenta in the Postpartum Period. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs.45(1):78-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogn.2015.10.008.

7. S.T. Truitt, A.B. Fraser, D.A. Grimes, M.F. Gallo, K.F. Schulz (2003). Hormonal contraception during lactation: systematic review of randomized controlled trials, Contraception, Volume 68, Issue 4, Pages 233-238, ISSN 0010-7824, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0010-7824(03)00133-1.

8. Bloom MS, Varde M, Newman RB. (2022) Environmental toxicants and placental function. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 85(Pt B):105-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2022.09.003.

9. Buser GL, Mató S, Zhang AY, Metcalf BJ, Beall B, Thomas AR. (2016). Notes from the Field: Late-Onset Infant Group B Streptococcus Infection Associated with Maternal Consumption of Capsules Containing Dehydrated Placenta — Oregon, 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2017;66:677–678. http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6625a4

10. Gryder, L.K., Young, S.M., Zava, D., Norris, W., Cross, C.L. and Benyshek, D.C. (2017), Effects of Human Maternal Placentophagy on Maternal Postpartum Iron Status: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, 62: 68-79. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmwh.12549

11. Sangle P, Sandhu O, Aftab Z, Anthony AT, Khan S. (2020) Vitamin B12 Supplementation: Preventing Onset and Improving Prognosis of Depression. Cureus. 12(10):e11169. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.11169.