# Placenta question (I'm sure it'll be TMI!)... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 4, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732 "2005-10-04T14:33:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![McDeath\_the\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@McDeath\_the\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McDeath_the_Mad)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/1 "2005-10-04T14:33:58Z")
**Stainz** and I are just a few weeks away from being happy parents. We are going to do a birth plan for when we are at the hospital. We looked at a few sample plans, and 3 or 4 of them requested to keep the placenta after the birth. Why is this? What would you do with it? For some crazy reason, I thought I read some where or heard someone say that people would keep it and cook it? That just sounds way too crazy to me. Can anyone straighten me out? MtM ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/2 "2005-10-04T14:41:46Z")
Yes, some people retain the placenta, intending to eat it\*; there is, I believe, evidence to suggest that this helps to aleviate post-natal depression and various mineral deficiencies. \*That’s not to say that everyone who takes it home actually goes through with eating it. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/3 "2005-10-04T14:46:36Z")
There was a straight dope [column](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_104.html) on this awhile back. Other people plant trees over their placentas. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/4 "2005-10-04T14:56:48Z")
I really ought not to have read this. I was just getting over _Clan of the Cave Bear._ ---
**Author:** ![Sohist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@Sohist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sohist)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/5 "2005-10-04T15:01:21Z")
A few years ago a British chef caused a scandal a few years ago by [cooking a placenta up on tv](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/101944.stm). Also I think there was a tradition of drying it and putting it in a locket. Sialors used to do this with the ‘caul’ (amniotic sack) it they were born with one so I don’t know if there’s some similarity ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/6 "2005-10-04T15:06:08Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Yes, some people retain the placenta Actually, _retaining_ the placenta refers to a situation where the placenta does not leave the uterus. Got a chuckle out of this wording. _Placentophagy_ is ingestion of the placenta. > **[Placentophagy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placentophagy)** > > Placentophagy, also known as placentophagia, is the act of consuming part or all of the afterbirth following parturition in mammals. Parturition involves the delivery of the neonate, as well as the placenta and fetal membranes. The placenta is a critical organ that develops in the maternal uterus during pregnancy to support the fetus. It connects to the baby via the umbilical cord in order to allow nutrient transport, waste excretion and gas exchange between mother and baby. The morpholo Theori... ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/7 "2005-10-04T15:38:46Z")
Up here in the Adirondacks nothing is wasted. My husband and I were friends with an elderly gentleman who, after his wife delivered their children on the kitchen table, would fry up the placenta and eat it. This same man died a few years back when he tipped his canoe over while trying to save a dime bag that he dropped in the water. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/8 "2005-10-04T15:41:24Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > Actually, _retaining_ the placenta refers to a situation where the placenta does not leave the uterus. Got a chuckle out of this wording. > > _Placentophagy_ is ingestion of the placenta. > [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placentophagy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placentophagy) What’s for dinner Mom? The [baby’s placenta dear](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Human_placenta_baby_side.jpg). It’s almost ready now. Smells great mom! But she was a small baby is there enough for everyone? Don’t worry dear there’s _placenty_! Oh Mom! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/9 "2005-10-04T15:48:27Z")
> [@astro](#): > > The [baby’s placenta dear](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Human_placenta_baby_side.jpg). It’s almost ready now. Yeah, there is no f@ck\*ng way I am eating that. And I eat steak tar-tar, sushi with fish roe, and anchovies right out of the jar. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/10 "2005-10-04T15:52:07Z")
Cooking would cancel any benefit ingesting the placenta has. The reason other mammals eat it, as do some primitive tribes, is it has a high concentration of [pitocin](http://www.parenthoodweb.com/articles.html?article_id=377) which helps clamp down the uterus and prevent undue bleeding. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/11 "2005-10-04T16:30:25Z")
The original Saturday Night Live cast wrote up a skit about “Placenta Helper.” The script is in an old SNL script book (I’m not sure if it’s still in print), and it’s absolutely hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/12 "2005-10-04T17:41:08Z")
> [@astro](#): > > What’s for dinner Mom? > > The [baby’s placenta dear](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Human_placenta_baby_side.jpg). It’s like a heart and liver had a child, then aborted it. ---
**Author:** ![aamco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@aamco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aamco)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/13 "2005-10-04T18:40:06Z")
> [@Sohist](#): > > A few years ago a British chef caused a scandal a few years ago by [cooking a placenta up on tv](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/101944.stm). I saw that show. It was stomach-churning, but riveting. When it’s cooked, quite honestly, you can’t really tell that it’s a non-standard food. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/14 "2005-10-04T18:56:49Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > It’s like a heart and liver had a child, then aborted it. New keyboard needed here!! ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/15 "2005-10-04T18:57:16Z")
> [@Little Bird](#): > > Yeah, there is no f@ck\*ng way I am eating that. And I eat steak tar-tar, sushi with fish roe, and anchovies right out of the jar. Holy crap, it’s huge! Where did I get the idea that a placenta was a little bitty thing? ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/16 "2005-10-05T02:01:53Z")
> [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > The original Saturday Night Live cast wrote up a skit about “Placenta Helper.” The script is in an old SNL script book (I’m not sure if it’s still in print), and it’s absolutely hilarious. IIRC, the network censors refused to let them perform the skit on the show. Some call it conspiracy… ---
**Author:** ![Kiminy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Kiminy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiminy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/17 "2005-10-05T03:42:51Z")
When our first child was born, I asked to see the placenta. I had heard that some cultures liked to eat it, but once I saw it, I had absolutely no interest in doing anything else with it, so I allowed the hospital to dispose of it appropriately. When our second child was born, I just let the placenta pass, and didn’t care if I saw it or not. ---
**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/18 "2005-10-06T05:37:40Z")
But why would the hospitals ask to keep it? To be sure whether the parents want it or not (so they can discard it)? or some other reason? ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/19 "2005-10-06T05:53:22Z")
> [@MaryEFoo](#): > > But why would the hospitals ask to keep it? To be sure whether the parents want it or not (so they can discard it)? or some other reason? Possibly to harvest cord blood for stem cells. WAG. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732/20 "2005-10-06T10:28:21Z")
Sometimes placentas are used in research too. As faulty trophoblast invasion is thought to be involved in the aetiology of Pre-eclampsia, the maternity hospitals in Dublin are saving all the placentas from any women with a history of PET or Hypertension during that pregnancy. They’re looking at the morphology of the placenta, and also at the genetics. Sometimes people who have lost a twin early in the pregnancy will ask for the placenta so that they can give the deceased twin a burial. It’s odd, but it’s been done. Some people dip it in paint and make a picture for the wall (it sort of looks like a tree). Using it to fertilise a Rosebush is a fairly common thing. Quite frankly, IMO if anyone who has just given birth and who has seen their placenta STILL wants to eat it, they’re very welcome to go ahead. **picunurse** , I’m sorry to be so picky, but it bugged me. Pitocin is the tradename of the synthetic form of the hormone Oxytocin. Placentas are rich in Oxytocin but completely devoid of Pitocin- now, fell free to think I’m an evil control freak to your heart’s content. sorry. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placenta-question-im-sure-itll-be-tmi/324732.md?page=2)