A lot of women have asked how safe is it to eat their placenta – especially since there has been so much talk about it with celebrities like the Kardashians using social media to spread the word about how they freeze-dried their placentas into pills.
A lot of the conversation has been around how women believe it provides many benefits, including prevention of postpartum blues and post-natal depression, improved maternal bonding, increased milk supply, higher energy levels as well as less postpartum bleeding.
Some women keep theirs and plant it under a tree which becomes a special place for them and a reminder that they gave birth to their child.
Other women chose to eat it. I do not recommend eating it raw but if your choice is to digest it then there are some other options including encapsulating it.
One of my patients remarked that she wanted her placenta to make plasagna – I think she was having a joke with me although I do recall reading about someone eating it on pizza too!
There are no medical indications as to why a woman should eat their placenta and studies have shown that there are no clinical differences in postpartum maternal mood, bonding, or fatigue between placenta eaters and those women that don’t eat their placenta. Primates have evolved to not eat their placentas and as humans, we have adequate access to health foods and care which means women can restore their iron stores quite quickly after birth.
If you do decide you would like to encapsulate (dry it out and place it into small capsules) your placenta, ensure you seek out a reputable provider.
Every woman is unique and whether you chose to bury it, have parts of it made into a keepsake, artwork or jewellery be sure to make an informed choice and speak to a medical professional before ingesting.
