Introduction: Across the world, different cultures worship, value and dispose of the placenta in different ways, depending on their values, beliefs and practices. Increasing numbers of women are choosing for placentophagy, defined as the ingestion of the placenta at any time after childbirth by anyone, in either raw or modified form. Although placentophagy is common among mammals, there are very few confirmed historical reports of placentophagy in humans. Women choose placentophagy because of its supposed positive effects. Experts express concern that no one warns mothers about the potential risk of exposure to infections through vertical transmission to the newborn. Recent research has confirmed the presence of heavy metals and microplastics in placental tissue, which, if ingested, can lead to adverse effects in both mother and newborn. Placentophagy is more commonly performed by women who have given birth at home, but there is a trend towards more women giving birth in maternity hospitals that also want to choose placentophagy. This poses a problem for mothers, as the current rules require the placenta to be safely and harmlessly disposed of by incineration. Purpose: To investigate and find out how well people know about placentophagy, what their attitudes towards placentophagy are and if our results are comparable to other countries or cultures. Methods: The descriptive method of empirical disentangling with literature review was used. This method was used to present the theoretical part, which was later explored using a caval non-experimental research method and an online survey. Results: Almost half of the respondents have heard of placentophagy and know what placentophagy is. A few respondents know a person who has chosen placentophagy and most of them have taken placenta capsules. Most of the respondents do not feel anything towards the person who has chosen placentophagy, but a few feel disgust and repulsion. Respondents felt that health professionals should provide more information about placentophagy, and some felt that only those who are interested should be provided with information. Discussion and conclusion: There is a lack of research on placentophagy, and the studies that have been carried out have small sample sizes, so their findings cannot be generalised. A review of the research to date does not allow us to confirm with certainty the positive and negative effects of placentophagy. However, it is clear from our survey that respondents would like to receive more information from health professionals, which means that health professionals should be informed educated accordingly.
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