Placenta Encapsulation

 

 Introduction

Placenta encapsulation is the current and noninvasive way to which a placenta is dried, prepared and put in capsules which are consumed by the mother who gave birth to it (Hayes, 2016). There are two methods in which the placenta can be encapsulated which are the dried merely capsule and the traditional Chinese medicine steamed method.

The traditional Chinese method is the widely used method, and in this, the placenta is considered a sacred and powerful medicine to the woman who gave birth. It is believed in this that a placenta provides energy to the mother. Placenta encapsulation has become popular in recent years in the United States and Canada, and it is now in the United Kingdom and Europe as a service.

Preparation

Most of the women consuming their placenta have either the raw or cooked placenta encapsulated. A large number of them consume it when cooked, and some consume it while raw. The process of encapsulation of the placenta involves cutting the placenta into small strips and dehydrated in an oven and later it is ground into powder and placed in the capsules (Farr et al., 2018). Some of the women who consume it raw, blend the pieces of the organ with fruits.

            During preparation, the placenta is rinsed and rubbed in the amniotic membrane and later steamed from about 15 minutes together with lemon, ginger and even hot pepper. The cooked placenta is then cut into small pieces and dried, and the dried pieces are then ground to form a powder and placed in the capsules. When it is encapsulated raw the placenta I dried without steaming or cooking then crushed and put in the capsules.

 

 

The benefits to the women consuming

Mothers who have consumed the placenta have reported having helped them in the reduction of postpartum bleeding. Increased supply of the milk they produce, improve the appearance of their skin, reduced stress and even prevented postpartum depression. They also report improved mood and energy. This is a claim made by the mothers, but there has not been a piece of scientific evidence to support this wholeheartedly. Some of the arguments that have been there are that placenta replenishes the body with nutrients which can include iron, B vitamins, and even hormones that makes the body feel better and reduce fatigue and the depression (Farr et al., 2018). The results from this woman may show that placental consumption can be of great benefit to the woman in the postpartum period

A large number of woman experience postpartum depression after giving birth, and there are activities that occur during the birth process. There will be a drop in the hormone level, there is also blood loss and fatigue. All of this is thought to be the factors that result in the development of post-partum depression. A mother with the condition may present with sadness, weeping, feeling of dependence, might also lack concentration and be anxious. The symptoms might cause a significant impact on the life of the mother and might also find it difficult to take care of the baby.

 Placenta consumption is reported to improve the mood and reduces fatigue in that, the placenta contains iron, and thus its consumption replenishes the body with the iron after birth. In women who do not have anemia, ferritin concentration increases in the placenta, and this occurs in the third-trimester and the amount of iron in this placenta are measurable in both dried and fresh.

Besides, the enhanced mood and reduction of h postpartum depression are also purported to be attributed to the B vitamins which are thiamin, riboflavin, and pyridoxine which are all present in the human placenta. During processing, B vitamins may be destroyed, and thus it may alter the vitamin content after the processing. However, even if the placenta is consumed raw, there is little known if it will reach the required concentration to make it beneficial for postpartum women (Hayes, 2016). Besides, it is also not clear with regards to the function of B vitamins in prevention of postpartum depression.

It has also be claimed that placenta consumption will replenish the body with the pregnancy-related hormones which help in the prevention of the postpartum depression which may result due to a rapid decline of this hormones after birth (Hayes, 2016). Withdrawal from the Estrogen may to some extent lead to postpartum depression, but it is not yet understood clearly as to what role does the change in the hormonal level play.

Studies that had been performed shows that transdermal use of estrogen administration in the management of the postpartum depression. There were also claims that consumption of placenta may also decrease postpartum depression symptoms through beta-endorphins. Estrogen and the beta-endorphins are usually there in human placenta, but it is not yet clear on the concentration of the hormones in the placenta after it has been processed for consumption by the mother.

Reproductive hormones contribute to emotional processing, motivation and even cognition and thus it contributes indirectly to the postpartum depression through the influence of the social and the psychological risk factors for depression. However, they also affect the biological systems which play a significant part in the depression and thus, it has a direct impact on the postpartum depression (Young et al., 2016). Most women who have consumed placenta report that their placenta helped them manage their postpartum depression as compared to the depression they had during their previous pregnancies.

The proponents of the placenta consumptions also assert that it results in improved milk supply that is for women who practice breastfeeding. The self-report from the women indicate there is improved lactation (Young, 2016). Studies that had been done earlier also showed that women who consumed their placenta had increased in the size of the breast and increased in supply of the breast milk, although the study had a number of methodological limitations in which the consumption was done in the first four days following delivery. Which is the period where milk is highly produced in the mammary glands.

Placenta consumption has also been linked with pregnancy-mediated loss of pain sensation which is an opioid-mediated. Consumption of the placenta decreases the pain through facilitating endogenous opioid influence which are generated during the period.

There are lot of benefits that the mothers who consume the placentas claim to get. However, consumption of the placenta also comes with some adverse effects. Some of the reported adverse effects are a headache (Young, 2016). There is no research that has been carried out on the potential harm that may result from placenta consumption, but the theoretical view states that, the risk that may be in place is caused by the transfer of pathogens in the placental tissue into the body, the estrogen activity and the environmental toxins that may be present on the placenta.

It also exposes the mother and those who handle it to disease causing microorganisms that may be in the tissue, for example, organisms such as the hepatitis virus. Furthermore, if the woman is exposed to any intrauterine infection which can occur during the labor or even during birth she might then expose herself to infections that may result after the ingestion of the organ (Buser et al., 2017). This will hinder the healing process and thus have an adverse effect on the overall recovery.

The proponents of the placenta consumption have supported the practiced based on its benefits, although there is substantial evidence to support the reports. Most women reports that they have had less postpartum depression has compared to their past pregnancies; thus without even the extensive research on this. There have been more reports on benefits than complications resulting from this, therefore there are little negatives on consuming your placenta as long as it does not bring harm to the body and it improves the experiences of life. Placenta has plenty of nutrients needed by the body that are lost during the pregnancy and at birth; and thus consumption of placenta to replenish the body give more benefits than harm

Implications

With the rise in the number of women in their postpartum period consuming their placenta, it is necessary for the care providers and the midwives to have knowledge on the practice. They should be mindful of the evidence concerning likelihood of benefits and risk and also how they the placenta is prepared, to give the client the necessary information they might need concerning this. They should even have appropriate knowledge on the policies and regulations which may impact the families who decide on the method.

The midwife also needs to be aware of other benefits including the pain relief, improvement of mood, increase in energy supply and other risk such as the risk for infection and contamination by heavy metals. This will enable the care providers to give the necessary information concerning the placenta consumption for them to make informed decisions.

After provision of the necessary counseling and the client chooses to consume her placenta, advice on the criteria they should consider when preparing the placenta is essential. The placenta preparation should ensure that proper and safe handling is practiced. They are training on handling and disposal of infectious waste to prevent contamination. It is also necessary to teach all the woman who chooses to consume their placenta on how it is prepared whether it will be cooked or taken raw and also show them on the risk that accompany consumption of the raw placenta.

Scientific research is in place for the evidence-based benefits and risks for placental consumption and is in their early phase, and thus there is a need for double-blind trials which will examine the potential risk and benefit of the encapsulated placenta, currently the most commonly used. The priorities being to investigate how the capsules work (mode of action) for the potential risk and benefits that the capsules have. This is done using valid and measures that are reliable and use of the sample size large enough to detect the rare events that may be associated.

               

 

 

References

Buser, G. L., Mató, S., Zhang, A. Y., Metcalf, B. J., Beall, B., & Thomas, A. R. (2017). Notes from the field: late-onset infant group B Streptococcus infection associated with maternal consumption of capsules containing dehydrated placenta—Oregon, 2016. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 66(25), 677.

Farr, A., Chervenak, F. A., McCullough, L. B., Baergen, R. N., & Grünebaum, A. (2018). Human placentophagy: a review. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 218(4), 401-e1.

Hayes, E. H. (2016). Consumption of the placenta in the postpartum period. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, 45(1), 78-89.

Young, S. M., Gryder, L. K., Zava, D., Kimball, D. W., & Benyshek, D. C. (2016). Presence and concentration of 17 hormones in human placenta processed for encapsulation and consumption. Placenta, 43, 86-89.

Young, S. M. (2016). Effects of human maternal placentophagy on postpartum maternal affect, health, and recovery.