Our backyard would have a papaya tree for as long as I can remember. Mama would encourage us to eat papaya especially in the mornings because she said it will prevent “yayay papot” when we “popo.”

The papaya fruit has become so much a part of our diet that it has become natural to have it as dessert after a meal or as snack in the morning or afternoon.

Little did I know that this rounded fruit contains contraceptive capacity.

In fact women in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and India have long used papaya as a contraceptive. According to a research, eating ripe papaya everyday can help prevent pregnancy. Further, the unripe fruit is even more potent.

It is theorized that the enzyme papain in the papaya fruit will suppress progesterone. Progesterone is a sex hormone needed to prepare the uterus for conception and maintenance of pregnancy. Another reason is that papain, which can be used to tenderize meat, may break down a membrane vital to the development of the fetus.

The research also found out that since papain interacts with progesterone, eating one papaya everyday for a week will bring on menstruation with no side-effects. Thus, it may be a cure to hormonal disorder.