Effects of placentophagy on maternal salivary hormones: A pilot trial, part 1

Young, Sharon M.; Gryder, Laura K.; Cross, Chad L.; Zava, David T.; Kimball, David W; Benyshek, Daniel C.

doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2017.09.023

Cited by 21 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…There were, however, some time-related differences in maternal mood and fatigue between placenta and placebo groups that may warrant future exploration. 15 Other results from the study showed significant doseresponse relationships between the concentration of 15 detected hormones in the placenta capsules and corresponding salivary hormone measures in placenta group participants not seen in the placebo group 13 that might provide a conceivable mechanism for potential therapeutic effects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…These studies conclude that some micronutrients (e.g., iron) in processed placenta could make modest contributions to recommended daily dietary intakes, 11 while some hormone concentrations (e.g., progesterone) could conceivably reach physiological thresholds, based on the most commonly recommended daily intake of processed placenta (3300 mg). 12 In addition, results of the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the effects of maternal placentophagy on the concentration of a suite of maternal salivary steroid hormones, 13 maternal iron status, 14 and maternal mood, bonding, and fatigue 15 over a 3-week postpartum period have recently been reported. The results of this pilot RCT (N = 27) revealed few, if any, clear benefits (e.g., improved maternal iron status, 14 or maternal mood 15 ) for placentophagic mothers compared with those who took a placebo.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Placentophagy among women planning community births in the United States: Frequency, rationale, and associated neonatal outcomes

Benyshek

Cheyney

Brown

et al. 2018

Birth

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Nearly one-third (30.8%) of women consumed their placenta. Consumers were more likely to have reported pregravid anxiety or depression compared with nonconsumers. Most (85.3%) placentophagic mothers consumed their placentas in encapsulated form, and nearly half (48.4%) consumed capsules containing dehydrated, uncooked placenta. Placentophagy was not associated with any adverse neonatal outcomes. Women with home births were more likely to engage in placentophagy than women with birth center births. The most common reason given (73.1%) for engaging in placentophagy was to prevent postpartum depression. [Corrections added on 16 May 2018, after first online publication: The percentage values in the Results sections were updated.] CONCLUSIONS: The majority of women consumed their placentas in uncooked/encapsulated form and hoping to avoid postpartum depression, although no evidence currently exists to support this strategy. Preparation technique (cooked vs uncooked) did not influence adverse neonatal outcomes. Maternity care providers should discuss the range of options available to prevent/treat postpartum depression, in addition to current evidence with respect to the safety of placentophagy.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Placentophagy among women planning community births in the United States: Frequency, rationale, and associated neonatal outcomes

Benyshek

Cheyney

Brown

et al. 2018

Birth

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“…It has no effect on plasma prolactin levels or neonatal weight gain, indicating there is unlikely any improvement to breastfeeding [12]. B vitamins, betaendorphins, prolactin, placental opioid-enhancing factor (POEF) and oestrogen have been proposed as being obtainable via placentophagy [3,48] but a RCT found no significant differences in salivary hormone concentrations after consuming placenta compared to placebo [10] and no robust differences in postpartum mood, bonding, or fatigue [11]. It did however find a significant dose-response relationship between hormones found in the placenta and salivary hormone concentrations.…”

Section: Medicalisation Of Placentophagymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The motivations for placentophagy are especially interesting due to the lack of any historical or cultural record of the practice [8] despite maternal placentophagy being ubiquitous among other placental animals including non-human primates [9]. This is a qualitative paper; for a thorough biomedical review see Farr et al's 2017 paper [5] and randomised controlled trial (RCT) results by Young et al [10][11][12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Birth, attitudes and placentophagy: a thematic discourse analysis of discussions on UK parenting forums

Botelle

Willott

2020

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Background: The post-partum consumption of the placenta by the mother (placentophagy) has been practiced since the 1970s in the global North and is seemingly increasing in popularity. Maternal placentophagy is not known to have been practiced in any other time period or culture, despite being near-ubiquitous in other placental mammals. An in-depth qualitative exploration as to the reasons for the practice, its increasing popularity and how it is narratively incorporated into discourses surrounding "ideal" natural and medical births are given in this paper. Methods: 1752 posts from 956 users across 85 threads from the parenting forums Mumsnet and Netmums were identified for inclusion. A thematic discourse analysis was performed using NVivo. Results: Three main themes were identified: women recounted predominantly positive attitudes towards their own experiences of placentophagy, and they were respectful of others' views and experiences; some had negative views, particularly around the concept of disgust, but again, they were respectful of others' experiences. By far the most common method of consumption of the placenta was encapsulation. Conclusions: This paper identifies the motivation for placentophagy to almost universally be for medical benefits, most commonly the prevention or treatment of post-natal depression (PND). Whilst disgust is a common reaction, discussion of risks is rare, and positive experiences outweigh negative ones. The increasing popularity of the practice is ascribed in part to the comparative palatability of encapsulation and the use of the internet to share resources and remove barriers. Parenting forums are important spaces to negotiate normative birth practices, including placentophagy, and act to build communities of women who value personal experience over medical evidence and highly value personal choice and bodily autonomy. Placentophagy is discussed in terms of its relation to natural and medical births with arguments being made using both discourses for and against the practice. This paper argues that placentophagy is practiced as a resistance to medicalisation as an assertion of control by the mother, whilst simultaneously being a medicalised phenomenon itself.

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“…Hormones found in encapsulated placental tissue included relatively low concentrations of estradiol, progesterone, and allopregnanolone (Young, Gryder, Zava, Kimball, & Benyshek, 2016). In a follow-up pilot study, Young et al (2017a) showed a dose-response relationship between maternal hormone concentrations, including estrogen and progesterone, and hormone levels in placenta capsules. However, these researchers found no significant difference in maternal hormone concentrations when they compared women who consumed placenta encapsulation pills with those who consumed placebo pills.…”

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confidence: 95%

Understanding Placentophagy

Stanley¹,

Baillargeon²,

Selk³

2019

Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing

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Objective: To evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of women during pregnancy and the postpartum period related to placentophagy.Design: Mixed methods study (cross-sectional survey and online discussions).Setting: We used social media to advertise the study to mother/parenting groups. Online discussion groups were conducted through Google Groups.Participants: Women during pregnancy and in the postpartum period and placenta encapsulation specialists with Internet access. Methods:We summarized descriptive data and analyzed subgroups with the use of chi-square tests. We conducted a binary logistic regression to compare placentophagy with demographic variables and used constant comparative analysis to analyze online discussion group themes.Results: Overall, 271 of 1,088 (24.9%) respondents consumed their placentas. Canadian respondents and those who experienced pregnancy/birth-related complications were significantly (p < .05) less likely to consume their placentas than respondents from the United States (odds ratio ¼ 0.48, 95% confidence interval [0.28, 0.82]) and those who had no complications (odds ratio ¼ 0.56, 95% confidence interval [0.37, 0.85]). Increased iron stores (521/1,030, 50.6%), prevention of postpartum depression (519/1,030, 50.4%), and increased energy/decreased fatigue (460/1,030, 44.7%) were the most commonly listed perceived benefits. Infection and improper handling/preparation of the placenta were important concerns, and hospital policy was noted as a barrier to placentophagy.Conclusion: Respondents who engaged in placentophagy were primarily motivated by unproven benefits, such as the prevention of postpartum depression and anemia, for which there are other management alternatives. Although placentophagy is gaining popularity, it remains unregulated, and safety and efficacy data are limited. A safe, standardized preparation process is needed to minimize potential harm before further efficacy studies can be done. Targeted educational material surrounding placentophagy is needed to improve woman-centered care.Keywords complementary therapies obstetrics placentophagy postpartum depression postpartum health women's health Claire Stanley is an undergraduate medical student

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Effects of placentophagy on maternal salivary hormones: A pilot trial, part 1

Cited by 21 publications

References 23 publications

Placentophagy among women planning community births in the United States: Frequency, rationale, and associated neonatal outcomes

Placentophagy among women planning community births in the United States: Frequency, rationale, and associated neonatal outcomes

Birth, attitudes and placentophagy: a thematic discourse analysis of discussions on UK parenting forums

Understanding Placentophagy

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