A new CDC report tells the story of an Oregon mother who began eating her placenta in capsule form three days after giving birth. Her baby later developed breathing problems and was diagnosed with a serious bacterial infection with Group B Streptococcus.

Celebrities and specialist companies have promoted the so-called benefits of consuming the placenta for years. It can be fried with onions, blended into smoothies or freeze-dried and made into gelatin capsules. There are recipes for placenta lasagna and placenta roast.

Kim Kardashian swears it speeded up her postpartum recovery and kept her looking young. And actress January Jones claimed that eating her placenta helped her fight postpartum depression.

But there is no evidence to support these statements.

Late last month, health officials advised new moms about the potential dangers of taking pills made from their placenta after an Oregon infant's infection was tied to the practice. (Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune)

The placenta is a fetal organ that grows alongside the baby during pregnancy. It's about 2 inches thick, smooth and slippery on top and rough on the bottom. It's dark red, usually weighs about a pound and has a strange metallic smell. Considered biohazardous waste, most hospitals simply incinerate it. In some cultures, women ask to take the placenta home so it can be buried.

Proponents of consuming the placenta say it makes sense to eat the organ because it's laden with blood and hormones. But it can also be full of infection. Sometimes this is obvious from its appearance and smell but other times the bugs are concealed inside the placenta. Hormones contained in the placenta include estrogen, which can actually make it more difficult for the body to produce breast milk.

Placenta eaters point to animals, saying that new mothers should eat their placentas because, for instance, monkeys do. But experts say that for wild animals, the practice is probably a way to clean up and get rid of the smell of blood, which can attract predators.

In the case of the Oregon mother, the CDC doesn't say that she suffered any symptoms of infection, and the means of transmission is unclear. The mother's breast milk tested negative for the infection, but the same kind of Group B Streptococcus found in her placenta pills was swimming inside the baby's blood, the agency's report says.

The mother had given her placenta to a company that freeze-dries placentas, grinds them into powder and turns them into gelatin capsules. Luckily, the mother told her doctors about the placenta pills, information that helped the CDC in its investigation. The baby was treated with antibiotics for at least 25 days and survived the infection.

Group B Streptococcus can be deadly if not treated. It causes lung, brain and blood infections in newborns as well as infections of the bones and joints. About 1 in 4 pregnant women carries the bacteria in her vagina or rectum. That's why the CDC recommends testing for all pregnant women between 35 to 37 weeks of pregnancy. If the bacteria is found, the woman is treated with antibiotics during labor.

The growing trend of placenta pills offers a new way for newborns to pick up the bacteria. Be wary of companies and celebrities peddling placentas as a health miracle. The placenta is a fetal organ that can be riddled with feces, inflammatory cells and bacteria that could harm a baby.

Debunked is your go-to site for demystifying science and medicine. Send your questions and conspiracy theories to syasmin@dallasnews.com or tweet me at @DoctorYasmin. I'm a medical writer at The Dallas Morning News. I worked as a medical doctor and disease detective before training as a journalist.

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