Can Pawpaw Cause Miscarriage When Consumed by Pregnant Women?

There is a form of confusion as to what pawpaw otherwise known as papaya causes when consumed by pregnant women. This has led to a long-standing confusion amongst pregnant women as to whether they should be eating this tasteful fruit or not. But there is a simple answer to this question or issue and in this piece, we will be finding out

In this article in line with a publication on Healthline, we are going to be finding out if pawpaw can cause miscarriage in pregnant women when consumed. This will help clear the confusion and provide you with a better insight as to what pawpaw does to the body of pregnant women.

Can Pawpaw Cause Miscarriage When Consumed by a Pregnant Woman?

The answer is no and yes! Why is the answer no? Pawpaw is perfectly healthy for pregnant women when ripe i.e. when a pregnant woman eats ripe pawpaw, it can’t cause any harm to her or her baby as a matter of fact, it will improve the health of the woman but this is not the case for eating unripe pawpaw or one that has not fully ripened.

Unripe pawpaw contains two major ingredients that are harmful to pregnancy and they are; latex and papain.

Latex can trigger marked uterine contractions leading to an earlier than normal labour which is not something any woman desires due to the risks associates with having a preterm birth.

Papain found in unripe pawpaw may be mistaken by the body for the prostaglandins sometimes used to induce labour. Thus it can weaken the vital membranes that support the fetus.

Thirdly, it is a common allergen that is capable of triggering a dangerous reaction. So women are advised to stay very far away from unripe paw paw and only eat perfectly ripe ones.

Kwajaffa (
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