Related Experiment Videos
A recent systematic review, which looked at whether there are any benefits to placentophagy--the consumption of one's placenta after birth--has concluded that there is no evidence of benefit or risk and that these require further investigation. In the first part of this article, I reflected on this practice and noted some of the difficulties in evaluating such a practice. In this second article, I ask whether the claim that this is an age-old or natural practice is useful, consider why this might be important for women and explore some of the issues that we might want to consider in relation to this and other practices for which we have no evidence.
A recent systematic review, which looked at whether there are any benefits to placentophagy--the consumption of one's placenta after birth--has concluded that there is no evidence of benefit or risk and that these require further investigation. In the first part of this article, I reflected on this practice and noted some of the difficulties in evaluating such a practice. In this second article, I ask whether the claim that this is an age-old or natural practice is useful, consider why this might be important for women and explore some of the issues that we might want to consider in relation to this and other practices for which we have no evidence.