Expert speaks on new mothers eating placenta

An obstetrician and gynaecologist has advised women against consuming their placentas, saying there is no medical evidence to support its health benefits to new mothers.

Dr. Akinsola Akinde, former Chairman, Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON), gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.

The placenta is an organ that delivers oxygen and nutrients from the mother’s blood to the fetus.

It also removes waste products from the baby’s blood.

Placentophagy is simply the practice of consuming the placenta after birth, and it gaining popularity among more women after childbirth.

The practice is gaining wide acceptance and popularity as more celebrities, social media influencers and proponents of the practice post their experiences online.

Some women opt to drink the placenta in a fruit smoothie within hours of giving birth, while some eat it raw, cooked, dehydrated and encapsulated into pills for use over time.

Human placentophagy is touted by some as a treatment for postpartum depression, reduce fatigue, boost milk supply, and replenish vital nutrients.

Akinde, however, said that the proposed health benefits were not scientifically proven, adding that the benefits were made up to justify the act.

“Medically, the placenta is a waste product because they are often colonised with bacteria. Many are infected.

“So, it is not advisable to eat something that is potentially teeming with bacteria, which may even be pathogenic.

“Some women may want to jump on the placenta-eating bandwagon because someone they know or respect claims it’s “the best thing ever”.

“I will advise them to exercise caution till scientific evidence proves that placentophagy is beneficial to human health,” he said.

He said that the placenta does have protein and fats, however, stressed that those nutrients could be found in a healthy diet.

Akinde stressed that placentophagy could be harmful to the mother and baby, noting that healthcare providers should be consulted about proven alternatives for postpartum and other concerns.

Also, Dr Tunji Akintade, a general physician, said that placentophagy was strange to the African culture whose normal practice was to bury the placenta after childbirth.

He added that government policies dictate that placenta should be bagged and disposed of as a medical waste, adding that keeping it for hours breeds infection.

Akintade warned that not all trends seen online or in the western society should be imitated; stressing that some could pose great danger to health.

Also, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that the intake of placenta capsules should be avoided owing to inadequate eradication of infectious pathogens during the encapsulation process.