IN SHORT: A Facebook post circulating in Nigeria claims that a combination of ripe banana, raw egg and milk can be used to help women conceive. We have found no scientific evidence to support this.
A video posted on Facebook in Nigeria claims that drinking a mixture of ripe bananas, raw eggs, milk and baking soda can help women conceive.
The accompanying text reads: “Difficult to conceive,and find it difficult to give birth , ovulation problem please try this is very good it works.”
The person speaking in the video says the bananas must be ripe and explains their benefits. She advises people to drink this mixture again after three months.
The video has been viewed over 84,000 times with most comments thanking the account while others pose questions.
The same claim has been made here, here and here.
In 2019, Africa Check debunked a very similar claim. A fertility expert told us then that a mixture of milk, egg, banana and soda would have no effect on fertility.
But can this mixture help women conceive? We looked into it.
Africa Check asked Ishaq Abdul, a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology in clinical sciences at the University of Ilorin, about the mixture and whether it could help women get pregnant.
He said there were a number of different causes of infertility known scientifically and he had not come across any studies into the use of this mixture.
“As gynaecologists, we ask relevant questions, examine our patients, carry out necessary investigations, and use the cumulative findings to decide on what causes the problem as well as provide the appropriate solutions,” he said.
He then advised people who wanted to get pregnant to see qualified gynaecologists instead.
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