// The buzz around placentophagy //
Placenta ingestion after the birth of a child. Yes, it sounds fairly strange—we are with you on that one. But placentophagy (as it is also called) is a practice growing in popularity, purporting a natural means to receive health benefits after childbirth, including claims of hormone balancing, milk supply enhancement, increased energy, and reduced fatigue. And best/ that ingesting the placenta may help relieve postpartum depression. Though placentophagy has little scientific research to back up the benefits it claims to provide, anecdotal research and surveys completed have estimated a high rate of positive reported benefits.
Ingesting the placenta may seem like some new wacky craze, but the practice harkens back to traditional Chinese medicine. Through word of mouth, and (as always) social networking sites, placentophagy is creating a buzz, from celebrity moms like Mad Men’s January Jones touting the benefits to the average new mother up the block.
Ingestion
No, this is not a fork and knife kind of meal. Rather, the placenta goes through a process of boiling, dehydration, drying, and then it is ground into a powder, encapsulated, and taken as a supplement.
Liz Abbene, owner of Enlightened Mama in St. Paul, a birthing doula, childbirth educator, and mother of four, discusses placenta encapsulation with her clients. “I’ve had some moms that have suffered from depression who didn’t feel
comfortable taking medications while they were breastfeeding, so they gave placenta capsules a try because it’s all natural. It’s YOU.”
This almost seems too good to be true. What might the downside be, then? Charlie Foust, a Minnesota-based doula and trained encapsulation specialist, said there are no downsides, but that you should be mindful of your own health when
you take a capsule. “Because the placenta is part of the mom’s body, there are no known health risks,” says Foust. “The only time that you wouldn’t take a capsule is if you were fighting off an infection of some kind—like a cold, the flu,
mastitis. The placenta is very tonifying in nature and can cause an infection to grow stronger and deeper into the body.”
Health risks and rewards
However, problems can surface if the placenta is not properly taken care of before it is processed. Because it is a fresh organ, it should be treated as such/ refrigerated after it is expelled from the uterus so it doesn’t risk bacteria growth.
Also, if medical staff tests the placenta, it’s best to ensure it was not exposed to harmful chemicals.
The encapsulation process should also be done with care and proper sanitation practices so that the organ is not exposed to bacteria or germs.
The scientific research behind this magic capsule is still in its beginning stages; this means the only evidence that placentophagy works is anecdotal. Abbene said some of her placenta-ingesting clients have told her, “it’s a life saver,” and
that they feel an improvement in mood and energy level about 10 or 15 minutes after taking a capsule or two.
Minnesota native Jodi Selander is the founder of Placenta Benefits Ltd. Since she launched her business in 2006, she has been working to educate mothers about placentophagy and also offers encapsulation services and certification
training.
Though Selander strongly advocates for placentophagy, she does acknowledge, like Abbene, that it may not work for everyone. “Every placenta is unique just like every pregnancy is unique. So, the way placenta capsules affect [each
woman] will be different.”
In a study conducted by Selander, the majority of respondents revealed that placentophagy does work for them. Selander administered a survey to 190 women who had eaten their placentas and found that 96% said it was a “positive” or
“very positive” experience. Her conclusions were presented at the American Anthropological Association’s annual meeting in 2010.
Selander looks forward to the day when scientific evidence shows that the body does benefit from placentophagy; but what matters most is how the mother feels after ingesting it. “It’s become so popular because it works,” says
Selander. “There’s not going to be any sort of magic pill to cure all of a woman’s issues after childbirth. But, what I want women to know is that the placenta is the most readily available and simplest way to rebalance a woman’s system
[and] get her off on the best foot to the best postpartum recovery.” •
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What exactly is the placenta?
A temporary organ that grows as the baby develops, the placenta is connected to the fetus and to the mother’s uterine wall. It allows for waste elimination and for the transference of oxygen and nutrients from the mother to the fetus. At
full term, the placenta is about seven inches in diameter and just a little less than two inches thick and weighs one to two pounds. It naturally expels 15 to 30 minutes after the child is born.
