Why ‘Girls’ Star Gaby Hoffman Ate Her Placenta

You might find it strange, or even absolutely disgusting, that Girls star Gaby Hoffman ate her own placenta. Regardless of your feelings on the matter, it really isn’t as unheard of as you may think — in many cultures, and celebrity circles, placenta-eating is the norm. It’s thought to bring about beneficial nutrition and milk production in the postpartum mother, and a handful of stars have gone public about their consumption of placenta, including Alicia Silverstone and January Jones.

There are a few ways to do it — Alicia and January chose to encapsulate fragments of their placentas and take them in capsule form, but others, including Gaby Hoffman, consumed hers over a period of weeks, with pieces of it being blended into smoothies that included strawberries and bananas. The actress claimed she could not taste the placenta, but immediately felt the positive effects of it, according to Yahoo! News.

“My doula cut it up in 20 pieces and I just made smoothies. You mix it with strawberries, bananas, tons of fruit, you can’t taste it! But you can feel it.”

The science behind placenta eating is shaky, despite it being an extremely common custom in certain countries. Dr. Eve Feinberg, a Reproductive Endocrinologist at the Fertility Centers of Illinois, told Yahoo! Parenting that placenta pills – or placenta in other forms – are also not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.

“There is no data supporting this practice,” Dr. Feinberg said.

Despite that, many mothers swear by the benefits of eating their placentas. Claudia Booker, a professional certified midwife, believes that placental consumption gives the mother energy, boosts lactation, improves oxygen consumption, and wards off baby blues. She thinks that mothers should make their own call, but try to keep an open mind about the practice.

“The bottom line is, is there science on whether it’s good? No. But there isn’t science on whether it’s bad. If you think about what your body has done and you are wondering how you can give back to it, this is something to try.”

However you may feel personally about it, placental consumption is an individual choice, and likely will only increase as more stars go public about the practice.

Gaby Hoffman looked better than ever at the Season 4 premiere of HBO’s Girls Monday night, despite the sleeplessness and anxiety that often accompanies new motherhood. The series guest star, who welcomed a daughter on November 19, credits her post-pregnancy glow to one thing, and she’s very enthusiastic about it.

“Placenta! Placenta! Placenta!”