Some women eat their placenta after childbirth for its nutrients and potential benefits, such as improved breast milk production and decreased postpartum depression. However, many people find it unappetizing and argue that there is no scientific evidence to support its benefits. While the placenta contains hormones that may help with postpartum depression, the scientific consensus is that eating it is neither harmful nor particularly beneficial. Women should make their own choice based on their doctor’s advice and personal feelings.
A small number of women choose to participate in the controversial practice of eating the placenta after childbirth. Some women believe that eating placenta is beneficial due to all the nutrients it contains, and women who eat it may feel that they are replenishing some of the nutrients they lost during childbirth. Other purported benefits of eating placentas include improved breast milk production and a decreased likelihood of developing postpartum depression. There are many people who oppose eating placentas because they believe it is very unappetizing and can technically be considered a form of cannibalism. Many people also think that there is no reason to eat placenta and that the purported health benefits don’t actually exist.
It is true that the placenta contains estrogen and progesterone, and it may be possible that the presence of these hormones in a woman’s body after childbirth helps some with postpartum depression due to how hormone levels tend to fluctuate wildly soon after delivery. Eating the placenta is a common practice in some cultures, but women rarely do it in Western civilization. It’s also a fact that most mammals eat placenta, and women who choose to eat theirs tend to use this along with the fact that women in other cultures eat placenta as arguments to defend their choice.
Most women don’t bother eating placenta because they believe it tastes bad, whether cooked or raw, and because they see no benefit in doing so. Another school of thought is that eating the placenta is actually cannibalism because it is part of the human body. Proponents of eating the placenta counter the accusation of cannibalism by arguing that eating it doesn’t actually harm anyone because it’s a part of the body that’s no longer needed.
There have been very few studies done on the benefits of eating placenta, and research from 2011 does not indicate that eating it would be particularly beneficial for a woman who has just given birth. The general consensus of the scientific community is that consuming this part of the placenta is actually neither harmful nor particularly beneficial. A woman who is considering this practice after childbirth should make her choice based on her doctor’s advice and her personal feelings on the matter.
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