Human placentophagy: a review

Farr, Alex; Chervenak, Frank A.; McCullough, Laurence B.; Baergen, Rebecca N.; Grünebaum, Amos

doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2017.08.016

Cited by 42 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 67 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This stands in contrast to Selander et al's 2013 study which reported a higher percentage of women consuming "cooked" dehydrated placenta capsules (40%) vs capsules containing "uncooked" dehydrated placenta (25%). In addition, and perhaps surprisingly in light of both the CDC report above, and a published clinical practice recommendation against placentophagy informed by this case, 16 we found no evidence that consumption of raw, dehydrated placenta (compared with cooked/dehydrated) contributed to NICU admission or neonatal hospitalization. However, it is important to note that a recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 18 highlighted a case of infant GBS infection associated with maternal consumption of capsules containing uncooked, dehydrated placenta.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 41%

“…Despite reported favorable experiences with placentophagy, some alarms have been sounded by clinicians 16,17 following a recent case report in the United States suggesting that there may be harms associated with this behavior for the neonate. 18 Given the low frequency of placentophagy in the general population, 19 and the fact that most infants born in high-resource settings have good outcomes, 20 few data sets exist that have not only an adequate proportion of women who consume their placentas, but are also sufficiently large so as to be adequately powered for analysis of rare, adverse outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Placentophagy among women planning community births in the United States: Frequency, rationale, and associated neonatal outcomes

Benyshek

Cheyney

Brown

et al. 2018

Birth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Nearly one-third (30.8%) of women consumed their placenta. Consumers were more likely to have reported pregravid anxiety or depression compared with nonconsumers. Most (85.3%) placentophagic mothers consumed their placentas in encapsulated form, and nearly half (48.4%) consumed capsules containing dehydrated, uncooked placenta. Placentophagy was not associated with any adverse neonatal outcomes. Women with home births were more likely to engage in placentophagy than women with birth center births. The most common reason given (73.1%) for engaging in placentophagy was to prevent postpartum depression. [Corrections added on 16 May 2018, after first online publication: The percentage values in the Results sections were updated.] CONCLUSIONS: The majority of women consumed their placentas in uncooked/encapsulated form and hoping to avoid postpartum depression, although no evidence currently exists to support this strategy. Preparation technique (cooked vs uncooked) did not influence adverse neonatal outcomes. Maternity care providers should discuss the range of options available to prevent/treat postpartum depression, in addition to current evidence with respect to the safety of placentophagy.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 41%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Placentophagy among women planning community births in the United States: Frequency, rationale, and associated neonatal outcomes

Benyshek

Cheyney

Brown

et al. 2018

Birth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…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. 8 This study concludes that currently it is imperative that Health Professionals inform their patients that "the benefits of placentophagy are not supported by any scientific evidence." 8 Another recent publication warns that the possible risks associated with this practice can be various infections, thromboembolism (due to the amount of estrogen present in the placenta) and/or intoxication due to accumulation of heavy metals and/or environmental toxins.…”

Section: Scientific Basis Of Studies In Placentamentioning

confidence: 98%

“…8 This study concludes that currently it is imperative that Health Professionals inform their patients that "the benefits of placentophagy are not supported by any scientific evidence." 8 Another recent publication warns that the possible risks associated with this practice can be various infections, thromboembolism (due to the amount of estrogen present in the placenta) and/or intoxication due to accumulation of heavy metals and/or environmental toxins. 9 Therefore, the author concludes that before making a decision regarding their placentas, women should be fully informed of these risks.…”

Section: Scientific Basis Of Studies In Placentamentioning

confidence: 98%

Placentophagy: a controversial trend

Bosco

Díaz

2018

Int J Res Med Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This work presents the latest scientific results of research in placenta, highlighting the description of the organ’s associated microbiotic, whose possible deleterious effects will be of greater magnitude in a hemomonochorial placental barrier, as is the case in the human species. We want to make solid scientific evidence available to Health Professionals in the delivery and post-delivery care area, so that they may adequately inform their patients that the supposed benefits of the placentophagy are not supported by scientific studies. On the contrary, they are based on misguided popular beliefs spread on social media and untrustworthy maternity/health blogs and internet pages. None of these sources warn mothers about the fact that placentophagy involves a potential risk of exposure of the baby to vertically transmitted infections, risk of the mother developing a thromboembolism due to the estrogen content in the organ, or that the accumulation of heavy metals and/or environmental toxins in the placenta could prove poisonous to mother and baby. It is also of great concern that the presence of normal prions in the placenta has been reported lately, because, normal prions can be transformed into the infective forms albeit by a mechanism that yet remains unclear. This adds another risk to those previously described. Therefore, it is imperative that Health Professionals warn their patients that placentophagy is not a safe practice and can constitute unnecessary risks for both mother and baby.

show abstract

“…In their letter, Farr et al also say: "The citation of our paper is a distortion of it and violates the scholarly standard of accurately reporting the content of papers cited," in reference to the evidence-based rationale for their clinical recommendation against placentophagy. Firstly, we would point out that we reference nearly the identical suite of human studies investigating the purported benefits of placentophagy in our manuscript, and that four of the five studies highlighted by Farr et al in their review (Table 1) 1 were conducted by the lead author of this paper. Dr.…”

Section: Farr Et Al Say "mentioning

confidence: 99%