In many cultures, the placenta is considered to be the twin brother, counselor or guardian angel of the baby throughout pregnancy and is the subject of many beliefs and practices. In France, it is better known from a biomedical point of view including the protocols related to its disposal as biomedical waste in the hospital environment. Our study aims to evaluate the knowledge and representations of the placenta before being discarded by health personnel who assisted the parturient at birth. Our results show a lack of knowledge and misconceptions about the placenta and its different functions. Nevertheless, mothers consider it essential to their children’s development and are ready to give it to science "if it can help" once the birth is complete. Information and documentation on the placenta among pregnant women are necessary for better management of childbirth and practices, especially for mothers who wish to give birth at home or in a delivery center.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

This study did not receive any funding

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

Yes

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Aix-Marseille University (n°2021-09-07-14).

I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.

Yes

I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

Yes

I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.

Yes

All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors