Co-authored by Nicole Link-Troen, Richmond VA.
In the last few months, a few highly sensationalized articles have been published from some in the medical community, critical of placenta consumption. Since I’ve been publishing articles on placenta consumption for 12 years, it’s nice to see it gaining some more mainstream attention.
These articles are interesting in their conclusions of harm, considering the lack of empirical data about placentophagy. One of the main criticisms against the practice is that there is mainly anecdotal evidence to support it. When all you have is anecdotal evidence the next step is to question, investigate, and research the claims, like the Placentophagy Research Team at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has done. The authors of these recent articles could have mentioned any of the recently published research from UNLV.
Actual Published Research on Placentophagy
One such study discovered through lab analysis that placenta prepared for encapsulation have the hormones estradiol (estrogen) and progesterone at levels that can have a physiological effect.
Young, S. M., Gryder, L. K., Zava, D., et al. (2016). Presence and concentration of 17 hormones in human placenta processed for encapsulation and consumption. Placenta 43: 86-9.
Since the UNLV research team had to show that we were not harming women in order to proceed with our Placenta vs. Placebo double-blind, controlled research study, we had to thoroughly analyze the dried placenta powder after preparation. This study showed that heavy metals are not present in the placenta powder in harmful amounts, and that iron is present and available at 25% of the daily recommended value. Which is not a great deal of iron, but certainly can’t hurt someone who has just given birth and is coping with that inherent bloodloss.
Gryder, L. K., Young, S. M., Zava, D., et al. (2017). Effects of human maternal placentophagy on maternal postpartum iron status: A randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled pilot study. Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health 62:68-79
Simply Critical – Not Critical Thinking
Instead of taking an essential step from anecdote to investigation, and talking with people conducting actual research in the field, these doctors and bloggers are simply wringing their hands and saying ‘don’t do it’ instead of listening to their patients. Curious that when it comes to the practice of placenta consumption, anecdotal evidence is discounted (unless it’s harmful) and then condemned without further exploration.
Ironically, the same people that are against giving any serious credence to positive anecdotal experiences are obsessed with a single case study where some improperly prepared capsules which tested positive for GBS may or may not have given a new baby GBS. Here is the full CDC statement on that SINGLE case study, and my article in response to it: Can I get Group B Strep from Placenta Capsules?
After twelve years of preparing placentas, safely, with positive outcomes for thousands of women and numerous case studies, one single case of an improperly prepared placenta and suddenly the entire practice is disparaged. Indeed, the GBS case does indicate a need for safety regulations in the industry, and putting standard protocols in place. At PBi, and via my training course PBiU, I have been preaching safety and proper protocols for over a decade. To now use a single case of poor preparation as a means of tearing down the entire field of placenta consumption is hypocritical, and potentially harmful to women who struggle through postpartum and could benefit from placenta encapsulation.
In most fields of study, when there is a lack of empirical evidence and all we have are testimonials, those anecdotes should be treated as primary sources. Especially when their experiences are repeated by large groups of people from different walks of life, because that lends credence and dispels bias from their claims.
Positive Anecdotal Evidence Vastly Outweighs Negative
If one case of a badly prepared placenta can condemn the entire practice, why don’t the hundreds of other positive experiences hold any weight? If anecdotal evidence is suddenly worth considering, why not, too, surveys like this one?
Selander, J. Cantor, A. Young, SM., Benyshek, D. “Human Maternal Placentaphagia: a survey of self-reported motivations and experiences associated with placenta consumption.” Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 2013;52(2):93-115. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23445390
Why don’t the experiences of these women also matter?
From Chelsea in North Carolina, client of Jereka Hunt and shared on the Wombmart Facebook page:
Or Kristin in Maryland, client of Carmen Calvo from The Nurturing Root facebook page:
Or Makayli from Las Vegas, one of my own clients this year:
These experiences are not unique, and Placenta Encapsulation Specialist®s(tm) receive feedback like this from our clients EVERY SINGLE WEEK.
What we need now is for other practitioners who serve new mothers to take women seriously, listen, and contribute to the research that everyone wants and needs! There are a great many terrible things happening in the world right now, and women eating their placentas to have a better postpartum recovery is not one of them.
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Special thanks to Nicole Link-Troen of Richmond Placenta Encapsulation for her numerous contributions to this article.
