Thank You for Not Eating Your Placenta

By Jen Gunter

The placenta is a large organ that is attached to the wall of the uterus of a pregnant mammal. Blood from the mother passes through the placenta and it filters oxygen, glucose and other nutrients to the baby via the umbilical cord. The author, Jen Gunter, describes her obstetrics and gynecology residency at a hospital in Canada during the 1990s. The author says, “After delivery, any placenta that did not require evaluation by a pathologist for infection or other medical conditions went to the freezer. A placenta man would appear when the freezer was stacked with the frozen red discs and take them to a company that apparently converted them into placental extract.” The placenta extract was used in creams to prevent wrinkles and other age-related afflictions in women.

Dr. Gunter explains that patients would ask to take their placenta home to bury, which is a tradition in some cultures. However, now some patients ask about eating their placenta. Dr. Gunter was stunned because the placenta is infected with several bacteria. Patients told her that other mammals eat their placenta and it is an “old ancient practice”. Yet this isn’t true because the most recent reports of placentophagy are from 1973. The author continues to discuss the process of encapsulated placenta, which is a way to ground and place the placenta in gelatin capsules for consumption. The author doesn’t agree with the idea of capsules because there isn’t enough research and studies to confirm any benefits.

This is the first time I heard about anyone eating their own placenta. It seems completely strange to me because it’s similar to self-cannibalism in a way. It sounds gruesome because the placenta can be infected and eating it can cause future diseases.  I had heard about people planting their placenta in some cultures. My grandmother told us that there were some towns/villages in our country, Bangladesh, that bury their placenta after the baby’s birth because it is a connection between the baby and the earth. Some people also say that burying the placenta might give nutrients to your garden.

I believe the author made a good point in saying, “It seems logical that if the placenta had any nutritional value, women might have historically consumed it after delivery, especially during times of famine, but those reports do not exist.” If it was beneficial to eat the placenta, then there wouldn’t have been any problem. However, the only things supporting these false claims are ancient anecdotes, which have no proof. After giving birth to her first child, my cousin was going through postpartum depression. She had constant mood swings and she was so overwhelmed with being a mother. Everytime the baby cried, she cried as well because she thought she was doing something wrong. However, after a few weeks, she was better. If there was any reliable evidence that placentophagy would help prevent patients from getting postpartum depression, then several mothers might have considered it.

The author also says that some advocates might believe that she is trying to withhold therapies from women. The author, Jen Gunter, is a gynecologist, obstetrician, vaginal health expert, and author. I believe she knows what she’s talking about, since she has experience.