Women Eat Placenta To Combat Post-Partum Depression
LAWRENCE, Kan. - Some new mothers are eating their placenta and swallowing it in capsule form. FOX 4 medical reporter Meryl Lin McKean looks into this bizarre practice and whether there's benefit.
The placenta is normally medical waste, but not to Lilly Mason. She'll come to your kitchen and turn placenta into something she says you can stomach.
"I steam and dehydrate and then put the placenta into capsules," Mason said.
The Lawrence, Kan. woman's done it for a half dozen women, including herself. Mason's certified by a company called Placenta Benefits.
"Placenta is nature's medicine that was intended to help moms through post-partum," Mason said.
Mason claims downing placenta helps with the baby blues, the mood instability moms have.
"My stress response was just much more evened out," Mason said.
Crystal Murphy is a certified nurse midwife with For Women Only, an OB practice.
"Honestly, I can't understand how women would want to do that," Murphy said.
Murphy said there's no scientific evidence to support placenta ingestion for mood. While many other mammals do eat their placenta, Murphy said humans are normally well-nourished enough that we don't need the extra nutrition.
Murphy said the baby blues generally resolve on their own, and in cases of post-partum depression, there is medication with scientific evidence to back up its use.
Mason counters those medicines have side effects. But what about risk in downing placenta?
"This is a part of your body," Mason said.
"There's a lot of bacteria in the vagina," Murphy said. "So you're taking something that's coming from a very contaminated area."
If you get past the ick factor, there's the cost factor. It costs $200 to put placenta in capsules.
Mason acknowledges the lack of research showing benefit. She says a study is underway comparing the placenta capsules to a placebo.