Vick Hope and Calvin Harris recently announced they’d welcomed a baby boy into the world in a series of Instagram posts. The posts showed photos of Harris and the baby, named Micah, and photos of Hope in a birthing pool. There were also photos of Hope’s placenta and some capsules that looked like the product of placenta encapsulation.
Harris wrote, “20th of July our boy arrived. Micah is here! My wife is a superhero and I am in complete awe of her primal wisdom! Just so grateful. We love you so much Micah.”
Many women opt to consume their own placenta after their baby is born, and although many animals do this, experts disagree about whether this is a worthwhile practice for humans. The placenta is a temporary organ that provides a baby with nutrients during pregnancy, and it looks as though Hope decided to have hers encapsulated – a practice that is growing in popularity.
Hillary Duff opted to drink a portion of her placenta in a smoothie after giving birth. “I know it sounds gross, but it’s so badass a woman can grow a temporary organ – and then you can eat it!” she said. Millie Mackintosh also posted that she had “decided to get my placenta made into pills” after the birth of her second daughter, and Kourtney Kardashian also opted for placenta encapsulation.
Many women choose to consume their placenta after giving birth, sometimes raw but otherwise cooked, dehydrated, processed, drunk as tea or encapsulated as a supplement. We asked the experts whether there are any benefits to doing this and, if so, are placenta pills the best way to do it?
What is Placentophagy?
Placentophagy is the postpartum ingestion of the placenta, which can be eaten in a variety of ways. Placenta tablets, also known as placenta capsules, are pills created by drying and grinding up a placenta into a powder, then encapsulating it.
Placentophagia is a common mammalian behaviour observed in rats, sheep and primates, and studies have shown the benefits in these animals. However, there is little evidence that the practice is beneficial for human health.
Women who choose to consume their placenta after birth believe it provides health benefits associated with hormones and nutrients that might have been depleted during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Some people consume a portion of or the whole placenta immediately after giving birth, and some might take capsules each day during the postpartum period.
A 2020 research paper explains that, “the supposed benefits” of eating placenta are “[an] increase in milk production quality and quantity, improving weight gain of the newborn, as well as decreasing postpartum depression rates”.
However, the same paper cites reports disputing these supposed benefits. Researchers found that “Placebo-controlled studies of placental capsules have not shown significant effects on hormonal levels, milk production, and weight gain in the newborn.”
In fact, there is also evidence that eating a placenta could be harmful. Placentas exchange nutrients and waste products between a mother and her baby, so placentas have been known to contain trace elements of toxic elements like arsenic and cadmium, particularly if the mother is a smoker. Placentas also need to be prepared safely to prevent disease.
This 2020 paper states that if a mother chooses to eat or drink her placenta, there is also a present risk of “bacterial or viral infections, hormonal, or trace elements that could become toxic for both the mother and baby.”
“It can be very appealing thinking that the placenta that has helped you nourish your baby inside your womb, can then also nourish you after birth. In one sense, it feels right because that is its job – to nourish and grow your child, “ adds consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Shazia Malik.
“But we shouldn't forget that the equally important role of the placenta is to remove toxins and chemicals from the baby via your circulation, so you could inadvertently be giving yourself a concentrated dose of heavy metals, toxins, and also bacteria. Cases of babies getting GBS infections from placenta capsules have been described, and as there is no universal screening for this, you would not know if this is present in your placenta.”
Placenta pills: Are there any health benefits?
Despite the increasing popularity of placenta pills, some research has debunked the theory that consuming the placenta offers health benefits. In 2015, the BBC reported that a review by Northwestern University found no proven benefits and no research on the potential risks. Lead study author Cynthia Coyle says, “Women really don’t know what they are ingesting.”
A 2018 study showed that women who were given placebo capsules or placental capsules had no significant differences in mood, fatigue, or the emotional bond between mother and newborn. Another paper from 2017 compared placenta capsules with a beef placebo and found that, despite the placenta being higher in iron, there was no difference in the iron levels of the women consuming the capsules.
Some experts suggest that the way the placenta is prepared – whether raw, cooked, dehydrated, processed, or encapsulated – alters its components, and thus the desired effects. However, the level of digestive absorption of the different hormones present in the placenta has never been studied.
“The science for any benefit just isn't there,” says Malik. “It's an expensive, unregulated business to encapsulate placentas. Women should not be made to feel that they are missing out by not doing it, and the concerns regarding potentially passing on harmful infections are valid.”
