Everything that you consume during your pregnancy affects your child in some way or the other. Hence, it is important to know what you should or shouldn’t be eating for your safety as well as the safety of your unborn child. Plenty of foods that look harmless may actually be the devil in disguise! These might be detrimental to the health of the developing child. Unripe papaya or papita during pregnancy is one such food item although fully ripe papayas are generally considered safe and often beneficial during pregnancy.
There is a lot of confusion in the minds of women when it comes to eat papaya during pregnancy. This is why many women remove papaya from their diet altogether during pregnancy. However, ripe papaya, when eaten with caution and moderation, can be beneficial during pregnancy. But unripe papayas during pregnancy are a big no-no as they may cause many complications.
Is papaya good for pregnancy? Well, the good news is that while ripe papaya is good, apparently the unripe one has certain negative effects, and should be avoided.
During early pregnancy, the foetus is delicate and you must take utmost care of it, protecting it even from the substance that causes the slightest harm, latex for example. The latex in unripe papaya has substances like pepsin and papain, that may cause uterine or womb contractions. These unnatural contractions during pregnancy might cause miscarriage or lead to premature birth.
Pepsin and papain may also impede foetal development and be of potential harm to the embryo. They can hamper cell growth and tissue development in the foetus.
During the final stage of pregnancy, consumption of unripe papaya can raise vascular pressure and also cause internal haemorrhage or bleeding in the placenta, thus affecting its development and functions. This can lead to pregnancy and delivery-related complications.
Unripe papaya sometimes brings about excess bowel movement to create pressure in and around the uterus and cause a miscarriage. Papaya is fibre rich, and the pressure it puts on the stomach and intestines can possibly lead to a miscarriage.
The seeds and leaves of papaya contain carpine, a toxin that harms the central nervous system.
One bowl of ripe papaya during pregnancy should be enough. It is important to eat whatever you can properly digest during pregnancy. Here are a few things to keep in mind while eating papaya during pregnancy.
On a lighter vein, here are a few Amazing Papaya Facts that you will enjoy.
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You ask and we answer!
Swapna Kulkarni, Pune.
If you are pregnant, avoid eating unripe papaya. It contains a latex substance that may cause contractions of the uterus. Ripe papaya in moderation is safe.
Pallavi Barua, Guwahati.
Pregnant women are advised to stay away from Pineapple, Grapes, Papaya, Watermelons and Peach.
Sheetal Shah, Navi Mumbai.
Papaya is the most effective home remedy available to prepone periods. Raw papaya stimulates contractions in the uterus and can help in inducing periods. The carotene present in papaya stimulates the estrogen hormone thereby inducing early period.