Editing Placentophagy (section)

{{Short description|Act of mammals eating the placenta of their young after childbirth}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
[[File:Placental morphologies encountered in placental mammals.jpg|thumb|Placental morphologies of varying placental mammals]]
[[File:Goat_eating_placenta.jpg|alt=|thumb|Mother goat engaging in placentophagy]]
'''Placentophagy''', also known as placentophagia, is the act of consuming part or all of the [[afterbirth]] following parturition in mammals.<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal|last=Hayes|first=Emily Hart|date=1 January 2016|title=Consumption of the Placenta in the Postpartum Period|url=https://www.jognn.org/article/S0884-2175(15)00009-X/abstract|journal=Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing|language=en|volume=45|issue=1|pages=78–89|doi=10.1016/j.jogn.2015.10.008|issn=0884-2175|pmid=26815801|access-date=29 June 2021|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Parturition involves the delivery of the neonate, as well as the placenta and fetal membranes.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal|last=Kristal|first=Mark B.|date=1 June 1980|title=Placentophagia: A biobehavioral enigma (or De gustibus non disputandum est)|journal=Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews|volume=4|issue=2|pages=141–150|doi=10.1016/0149-7634(80)90012-3|pmid=6999389|s2cid=10468943|issn=0149-7634}}</ref> The [[placenta]] is a critical organ that develops in the maternal uterus during pregnancy to support the [[fetus]]. It connects to the fetus via the umbilical cord in order to allow nutrient transport, waste excretion and gas exchange between mother and fetus.<ref name=":02" /> The morphological features of the placenta differ among species, but the function is universal.
The behaviour is characteristic to the mother of the majority of placental mammals.<ref name=":12" /> Significant documentation has been provided on placentophagy in a range of animals.

Anomalies generally include humans and aquatic species, as well as camels.<ref name=":02" /> However, the concept is becoming more popular among women in the West, despite its controversial overtone.<ref name=":12" />

Theories as to why mammals engage in placentophagy are related to the many proposed benefits of placental consumption. These vary between animals but tend to be behavioural, medical or spiritual in nature.<ref name=":02" /><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ober|first1=William|date=1979|title=Notes on Placentophagy|journal=Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine|volume=55|issue=6|pages=591–599|pmid=111747|pmc=1807646}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{cite journal |last1=Kristal |first1=Mark B. |date=1991 |title=Enhancement of Opioid-Mediated Analgesia: A Solution to the Enigma of Placentophagia |journal=Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews |volume=15 |issue=3 |pages=425–435 |doi=10.1016/S0149-7634(05)80035-1 |pmid=1956610 |s2cid=6331181}}</ref>