Kailyn Lowry Ate Her Placenta—But That’s Not Always a Good Idea

Is it safe to eat your placenta?

In short: No. But, as the women’s sexual health expert noted, it’s a lot more complicated to unravel.

For one, the practice isn’t FDA-approved. “There is little oversight over the way the placenta is properly prepared and handled prior to consumption,” Dr. Ross explained. “Given this, there is a risk of infection from harmful bacteria and viruses. Plus, the current encapsulation process may not effectively eliminate the risk of infections.”

And the message that eating your placenta has postpartum benefits can also be misleading.

“Unfortunately,” the medical expert shared, “the research doesn’t support the current claims on reducing postpartum bleeding, improving postpartum depression, enhancing breastfeeding, boosting your energy or using it in the future for menopausal symptoms.”

What’s more? According to National Institute of Medicine and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, eating your placenta also poses harm to your baby.

So much so, that in 2016, the CDC issued a warning against placenta capsules after a newborn developed group B streptococcus—an illness that can be deadly for babies.

Additionally, the National Institute of Medicine reported that, in one case, when a mother ingested her placenta and continued to nurse her baby, it caused early signs of puberty in her 3-month-old.

As for the widely touted mental health benefits, the CDC and the National Institute of Medicine consider consuming the placenta to offer more of a placebo effect—though they acknowledge that moms likely don’t care why they feel better, just that they do.