Placentophagy: therapeutic miracle or myth?

Maternal Placentophagy as a Possible Cause of Breast Budding and Vaginal Bleeding in a Breast-Fed 3-Month-Old Infant

“…However no scientific studies have shown evidence to support these claims. 2 To our knowledge, no studies have explored the effects of maternal placenta consumption on the offspring.…”

Placentophagy: a controversial trend

“…7,10 This fact is related to the emergence of the office of "Doulas", which is a person who accompanies the parturient and who also cares about the management of the placenta, either to use it as an offering ritual or as a placental medicine. 11 The latter corresponds to the intake of small frozen pieces of the tissue added to juice-shakes, or subjecting the organ to desiccation and then encapsulating it as powder.…”

“…7 None of these sources of information warn mothers about the potential risk of exposure to infections by vertical transmission to the child. An example of this type of transmission has recently been described by Farr et al, who have reported the case of a newborn who developed recurrent infections with B-streptococcus a situation, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in USA, associated to the ingestion by the mother of capsules prepared from their own placenta, which was infected with this bacterium.…”

“…6 Since then, it has been increasing in many countries, without being analysed or discussed at scientific level. 7 Consequently, the purpose of this work is to highlight the latest and important advances made in placental research, putting them within the reach of health professional teams that intervene in the delivery of the baby as well as in post-delivery care, so that in this way they can transmit to their patients the risks involved in the practice of placentophagy.…”

The Placenta–An Undervalued Miracle

“…Some studies suggest that acupuncture may be a method to avoid or treat retained placentae (Djakovic et al., ). And based on observations that animal consume their own placentae, some women are consuming capsules of their dried placentae to promote maternal health and lactation, although a review suggests little has been reported on either benefits or risks of this phenomenon (Coyle et al., ).…”