Message To All Ladies... About Papaya

[black chef]

i found this on wikipedia... while researching the benefits of papaya (on digestion):

"Recently it has been found that Papaya has abortifacient properties, that is it induces labor or miscarriage in pregnant women. It also may be used for amenhorrea, or lack of menstruation. Chemicals in the papaya have effects similar to progesterone.

The link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaya

can this be true?

 

[ironchef]

While Wikipedia can be a good source of info, not everything that's on there should be taken as truth. You should do some research on the internet and find articles written by medical professionals to see if this claim is true or not.

 

[lulu]

While Wikipedia can be a good source of info, not everything that's on there should be taken as truth.

Absolutely. A rainy day hobby of mine is too look up people I know and giggle about the "almost truths" they have put into their biogs, Its especially useful just before having in laws visit, because I am less likely to lose my temper if I know how insecure they are in them selves. OK, thats me trying to justify my nosiness!

 

[Alix]

There is some merit to this statement ironchef. Most GPs will tell their newly pregnant patients about papaya and to avoid it. I believe it is in a lot of the books on pregnancy as well. HOWEVER...it probably depends on the amount ingested, just like anything else.

black chef, thanks for looking out for the ladies.

 

[black chef]

There is some merit to this statement ironchef. Most GPs will tell their newly pregnant patients about papaya and to avoid it. I believe it is in a lot of the books on pregnancy as well. HOWEVER...it probably depends on the amount ingested, just like anything else.

black chef, thanks for looking out for the ladies.

yw...

i love the ladies, and i love papaya... i just can't mix the two of them together.

 

[Yakuta]

I am not convinced about this theory. Here is why:

Firstly, papaya has the papain enzyme which is supposed to help with heartburn, vomitting and nausea that most women go through during pregnancy (atleast I did). I had so many of my colleagues who bought papaya supplements from GNC and took them every day to eliminate nausea and no one went into early labor. Atleast 5-6 of us were pregnant at the same time and we did what we could to support one another and share information and the papaya supplement was popular and it worked.

I also was in Hawaii when I was 4 months pregnant and ate papaya every single day (it was my favorite at the breakfast buffet and I was there for 15 days).

I boarded a catamaran to see the Napali coastline and the waters were choppy and the ride was bumpy. I think that would have induced my labor for sure but not the papaya

 

[ChefScotty]

Agree with IC since this isn't as clearly stated as it could be. Ripe papaya is not a problem. Unripe papaya latex could certaibly be a problem and can do what synthetic prostaglandin and oxytocin do when it's drop the sprog time. These are sometimes given to either induce contractions or make them stronger during the labor process and there is some clinically documented evidence for miscarriage.

 

[Alix]

Drop the sprog time??? Love that one.

Probably this thread is just enough to make folks aware that they need to research stuff a bit.

 

[Claire]

Good grief. I didn't notice any higher miscarriage rate in women in the years I lived in Hawaii, and certainly never heard of a pregnant woman turning her nose up at the papaya that no one every paid for. Never heard of this one.

 

[Alix]

Here is a link to some info on this. In summary, they feel that ripe papaya poses little to no risk, but that semi ripe or unripe papaya shows a definite comparison to oxytocin and causes uterine contraction. Here is a second, less technical reference.

I believe that the warning would likely apply to those of us who don't eat papaya regularly enough to note when the fruit was not completely ripe. Hope this helps clarify for everyone.

 

[FryBoy]

The most reliable information on this topic is available from the National Institute of Health and the National Library of Medicine (www.pubmed.gov). The NIH cites two specific studies of this issue, plus several related studies.


Here's a link to the NIH's summary of the study:

http://tinyurl.com/ogawy

Note that on the right side of there screen there are links to several related studies.

 

[Alix]

Hey FryBoy, were we posting at the same time? LOL. Same info.

 

[marmalady]

I - think - there are different types of papaya, growing in different parts of the world. It's possible that they have different properties. Does anyone remember the mango skin thread, about it causing severe itching and rashes? Some folks from different parts of the world reported they had no symptoms at all.

I do remember hearing about no papaya from one of the old granny midwives here in Charleston; as their history is mostly Gullah, which means their ancestors (customs, cultures) came mostly from Africa, and a little later from the Caribbean, perhaps it's the fruit from those regions where there could be a problem? For whatever it's worth, it's high on the grannies' list of no-no's for expectant moms!