Suggestibility Vs Reality : "Placentophagy"

"We were getting lots of questions about it . Women usually ask me if I've heard of this 'eating your placenta' thing, and whether I think there's any benefit to it."
"There is no trial that shows a significant benefit for women for consumption of the placenta after delivery. It's very clear that there is no clear-cut benefit at this point."
"There's not a tonne of literature out there. There is no large, randomized trials to look at the things that are being talked about as being beneficial."
"We support maternal choice. So, if women choose to consume their placenta, what I ask them to do is to tell us, so that we can talk about signs and symptoms of infection, the potential risks and what they should watch out for."
"[It's important women know that] you're taking on a risk of harm, in a context where you don't actually have any benefit for consuming your placenta."
Dr. Chelsea Elwood, reproductive infectious diseases specialist, University of British Columbia

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada has found no evidence of benefit from women consuming their placenta after birth, but potential risks of harm, including the transfer of serious bacterial infections from mother to newborn. - 123RF Stock Photo

"Health Canada has taken action to address non-compliance with the Food and Drugs Act or its regulations, including issuing compliance letters and verifying that misleading health claims related to placenta pills have been removed from websites and other advertisements."
"[Health Canada has followed up on over 90 instances involving human placenta encapsulation service providers following an alert issued last November] the majority of which were proactively identified by Health Canada."
Health Canada

A placenta is encapsulated for remedial purposes in a 2012 file photo. Health Canada is cautioning mothers and others who may be consuming human placenta preparations about potential risks for themselves and their babies. (Megan May/AP via Canadian Press)

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, in finding no evidence of any benefit to be accrued from the popular-among-new-mothers "placentophagy" has prepared a statement to be published in May in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, advising against the ingestion by new mothers of their placenta. Women have been bombarded through social media endorsements  and those in the alternative medicine system extolling the health virtues of placentophagy.

The placenta is an organ that develops int he uterus during pregnancy, enabling the foetus to receive nutrients and oxygen. The 500 gram organ, rich with blood and containing protein, fat, minerals and hormones, is touted as a means by which new mothers can avoid hormonal crashes, post-partum bleeding, enhance milk flow and improve mood, energy and mother-child bonding. Claims which have no basis whatever in fact, never proven by any research.

A ritual whereby the placenta can be consumed raw, heated, dried and pulverized into capsules was once monopolized by home-birthers, but has since spread to hospital births, where new mothers can request their placenta be returned to them for the purpose of consuming it. Private placenta preparers, many of whom do their work in their own kitchens, levy a charge of about $400 preparing supplement capsules for 'easy ingestion'.

The new position statement endorsed by the Society of Obstetricians board of directors has resulted from a recent review article where researchers argue that any presumed benefit through placentophagy are potentially "species specific", that even though over four thousand mammalian species consume their placenta, any benefits that may accrue are not translatable to the human species. Despite which, the practice of placentophagy is spreading in popularity.

Over five thousand clicks accessed a survey when University of Toronto researchers placed messages on Facebook along with other social media to recruit women who were pregnant or who had given birth in the past year, to enlist in a study on placentophagy. A total of 1,088 agreed to participate in the study and of that number 25 percent had consumed their placentas post childbirth. The vast majority of those women -- 92 percent -- said they were prepared to do the same again.

Despite that a 2017 study concluded that no significant difference in symptoms of depression resulted between women who self-dosed with placenta capsules and those who took a placebo, the study authors reported "Improved mood was the most common cited benefit". Health Canada warns that despite this fundamental matter of personal choice it has never authorized a single product containing human placenta for human consumption.

Dr. Elwood's concern as a member of the society of obstetricians; infectious diseases committee, is that a placenta can possibly contain bacteria, viruses, fungi and other infectious diseases. As well, there is always the danger that the commercial preparation process can pose a threat of infections, along with the risk of someone ingesting the placenta of another person entirely, should the organs become switched accidentally.

iStock.com/shironosov

 

In recent years there has been an increasing public interest in placentophagy, which is the consumption of the placenta following the birth of a child. Placenta has been known to be consumed raw, dehydrated or roasted.  It has also been encapsulated and made into tinctures.
Health Canada is aware that some mothers are choosing to have placenta processing services prepare their baby’s placenta for the mother to consume following the birth of their child. Eating placenta or taking placenta pills is a mother’s personal choice. However, the mother should understand there are potential risks for both herself and her baby and there is no scientific evidence that eating placenta or taking placenta pills is beneficial or effective.
Health products containing human placenta meet the definition of drug under the Food and Drugs Act.

• Health Canada has not authorized any health products containing human placenta
• Health Canada has not licensed any businesses in Canada to manufacture, package or distribute products containing human placenta
• The advertising, manufacture and/or distribution of an unauthorized health product is not permitted under the Food and Drugs Act and its Regulations

Health Canada’s regulatory oversight extends to drugs derived from human placenta that are prepared by a third party, such as a company or processing service.  This oversight does not, however, extend to situations in which a baby’s placenta is prepared by the mother of the baby for her own personal use. 
There are potential risks associated with consuming products derived from human placenta, some of the more serious being potential bacterial (e.g. such as group B streptococcus) and viral contamination (e.g. hepatitis, HIV etc.) of the placenta.
When a mother ingests placenta pills containing bacteria or viruses, this may lead to an infection of the mother and/or her baby. Depending upon the type of infection, this could become serious or, in the most grave of cases, even life-threatening.
There is no scientific evidence to support claims that health products containing human placenta help prevent postpartum depression, increase energy levels, or increase breast milk production. Health Canada is concerned that anecdotal reports and unsupported claims might lead some mothers with serious health issues to delay seeking medical treatment while experimenting with health products containing human placenta.
Health Canada continues to monitor this issue and will take action when circumstances are identified which present safety concerns.