Papaya is very delicious and has lots of benefits. However, whenever we think of papaya in pregnancy our minds fill with doubt about the benefits of papaya.

In pregnancy it is important to eat right. This includes proper diet and right nutrition. However, when papaya is considered; many expectant women have doubts about eating papaya in pregnancy. In many countries, eating papaya is believed to create problems in pregnancy and may also cause a miscarriage. However, eating papaya in pregnancy has been proved to be a good measure of prenatal care in many cases.

Indigestion is very common during pregnancy and so papaya can be very helpful for those facing the problem of indigestion while in pregnancy. Papaya’s raw skin is one of the best sources of vitamin A and vitamin C. These vitamins could be very useful in various medical conditions like heartburn and inflammatory bowel problem.

Papaya can only be useful if eaten when fully ripe. Unripe papaya in pregnancy causes natural initiation of labor if you eat it in the final days of pregnancy. Unripe papaya has highly concentrated latex that causes early contractions. The latex concentration gets reduced as the papaya ripens. When it is fully ripe the amount of latex gets reduced to very little or almost zero.

The problem with papaya is majorly because of this latex which contains 2 main enzymes – one is papain and the other is chymopapain. Both of these enzymes can cause physical abnormalities in the development of an unborn baby or can also induce abortion in a pregnant woman. Papain increases the risks of uterine contraction which leads to abortion. Therefore, the effects of eating papaya in pregnancy may be adverse for both the mother and the baby.

That is why papaya is believed to be dangerous during pregnancy. Even if there is the slightest amount of latex present in papaya, it can cause early labor which may lead to miscarriage or abortion. So while eating papaya in pregnancy it becomes most important that a pregnant woman eats only the fully ripe papaya.

Papaya should be completely avoided while in the early stage of pregnancy because in that stage the placenta gets formed and even a fraction of latex can cause harm to the womb. Furthermore, just by looking at a papaya, how can we make out that there is no latex present in it? It is not possible to judge the ripeness of a papaya just by looking at it. Thus to avoid the disaster it can bring, it is better not to eat papaya in pregnancy.

In this way though papaya in pregnancy can be useful, it is important to confirm its ripeness as even a small amount of latex can be dangerous and can cause serious complications. Therefore, if you are not 100% sure of the ripeness of papaya, do not try eating it.