After Calvin Harris posted a Instagram carousel featuring a snap of his wife’s placenta pills, social media has been divided. But why is the consumption of this pregnancy organ so popular?
Music mogul Calvin Harris initially delighted fans after sharing snaps of his and his wife Vick Hope’s newborn son. Except many weren’t prepared for the picture that came next, which featured a close-up of none other than Vick’s placenta.
The DJ also shared further shots of the placenta cut into pieces and placed in a dehydrator to be made into pills. Unsurprisingly, the Instagram snapshots proved divisive among viewers. “I was NOT prepared for the placenta pic,” one shocked fan wrote. “Where’s the trigger warning,” another said. However, others were far more supportive and congratulated Calvin for “normalising the beauty of physiological birth”.
Regardless of what camp you’re in, eating the placenta after birth has become an increasingly mainstream phenomenon. It’s even been endorsed by the likes of Kim Kardashian and Alicia Silverstone. But why do people do it?
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Why do people eat the placenta?
The placenta is an organ which is grown during pregnancy and which provides the foetus with essential nutrients. It’s typically discarded after a woman gives birth, however some people choose to consume it in a variety of forms.
People generally consume the placenta as they believe it contains nutritional benefits. According to WebMD, those who support eating the placenta claim it can help with childbirth recovery, raise your energy and breast milk quantity and reduce pain.
They also believe it can lower your chances of developing postpartum depression and insomnia. However, there is currently no strong scientific evidence to support these benefits.
What are placenta pills?
While there are a multitude of ways to consume the placenta – from cooking it whole to blending it up in a smoothie – a popular method of eating the organ is by transforming it into pills. Known as encapsulation, this is done by steaming and dehydrating the placenta, then grinding it up into a powder to be put in capsules.
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Placenta pill benefits?
While people consume placenta pills to aid post-natal healing and reduce the risk of mental health issues like postpartum depression, the industry relies on largely anecdotal evidence, as reported by The Guardian.
According to a 2017 study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, there is “no scientific evidence of any clinical benefit of placentophagy among humans, and no placental nutrients and hormones are retained in sufficient amounts after placenta encapsulation to be potentially helpful to the mother postpartum.”
Where to find placenta pills?
You can find placenta pill services in the UK which are conducted by specialists. You can order placenta pills in advance of your due date. These service providers will collect your placenta and turn it into pill form, with prices of around £250.
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