WHAT'S IN THE PLACENTA?

The placenta is full of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and phosphate, along with trace elements including copper, zinc, iron, and selenium. Iron and selenium are two particularly important therapeutic trace elements in the postpartum period. Selenium is a mineral with antioxidant properties that protect cells from damage and may be partly why placental ingestion is so effective in aiding uterine recovery. As for iron, studies show a strong correlation between maternal iron levels and the mother’s experience of depression, stress, and cognitive functioning postpartum. Amazingly, a full-term placenta has an iron equivalent of nearly two blood transfusions. Placenta consumption alleviates fatigue and may counter the onset of postpartum depression by quickly restoring hemoglobin blood levels. Replenishing blood volume after the blood loss during birth is a strain on the postpartum body. Having low iron often results in lower hormone levels, fatigue, lack of concentration, and depressive symptoms. Even non-anemic mothers with unexplained fatigue postpartum consistently benefit from iron supplementation in ways researchers are still trying to explain. The increase in energy mums regularly report after placental consumption is profound. Many mums describe it as a strong, clean, sustained ‘high’ that is experienced as a deep vitality— not at all like the fading energy spikes of caffeine or sugar. This increase in energy and strength is critical in warding off postpartum depression since early postpartum fatigue is a key factor in the development of postpartum depression. For example, one study found that maternal fatigue on the 14th day after birth was the most predictive sign for postpartum depression.

Research is progressively overturning traditional medical perceptions of the placenta as a passive organ and is finding that it actually has a rich physiological landscape of its own. One of the most important studies on placental oxytocin reserves, “Immunoreactive Oxytocin Synthesis in Human Placental Tissue,” showed that oxytocin is synthesised (produced) by the full-term placenta. Another convincing fact is that “at the onset of labour, there is a marked increase in oxytocin receptors without an increase in maternal circulating hormone levels, suggesting local production of oxytocin by the placenta.”
Oxytocin is a primary hormone that alleviates maternal hemorrhage at birth by stimulating contractions responsible for safely detaching and expelling the placenta. Positive feedback mechanisms associated with oxytocin also enable lactation, bonding between mother and child, and the reduction of anxiety. Women, whose milk lacks oxytocin because of toxemia or a stressful birth, can easily and safely replenish their oxytocin reserves with the rich deposits found in the placenta.

Prostaglandin is admitted by health professionals to be more effective during childbirth and postpartum than Pitocin, the synthetic form of oxytocin. Because of the complexity of the system wide effects of prostaglandin on the maternal body at birth, modern medicinal efforts have not yet discovered a way to safely administer prostaglandin as a hemorrhage therapy. In “The Role of Prostaglandins in Labor and Delivery,” O’Brien explains, “Prostaglandins are important mediators of uterine activity. Indeed, a much stronger case can be made for the role of prostaglandins in labor than can be made for oxytocin.” Maternal consumption of the placenta can safely increase maternal levels of prostaglandin in a manner that modern medicine has not yet been able to reproduce. Along with reducing the bleeding from the placental attachment site, prostaglandin levels affect the aggregation/disaggregation of platelets, regulate inflammation, and assist cell growth and regeneration. These compound benefits add up to a significant acceleration of postpartum healing from birth injuries and strain.

Estrogen is a hormone with anti-inflammatory properties that stimulates healing and assists in the mobilisation of white blood cells to ward off infection. Estrogen has long been known to exert anti-inflammatory effects particularly in the central nervous system which affects many facets of mental function. Women with high blood pressure, swelling, or high levels of urinary protein often find that consuming their placenta postpartum soothes the kidneys, and brings a quicker resolution to these symptoms. “Estrogens influence uterine blood flow, increase expression of proteins needed for continued progesterone production and steroid metabolism, as well as prepare the breasts for lactation.” Estrogen is also a determining hormone to women’s mental health, and we now know that estrogen levels sustained below recommended levels cause clinical depression and a lack of mental clarity and fortitude. The immediate mental clarity and upbeat outlook that mothers keep reporting (and researchers can’t quite pin down) may be due to the boost in estrogen from the placenta.

Progesterone is another essential aid in improving postpartum mental clarity and general cognitive function. Mums who consume the placenta postpartum consistently report these very benefits. Recent studies have also found that progesterone has an MAO-inhibiting mechanism that results in a similar effect as many anti-anxiety medications. Progesterone levels in the placenta also play a key role in multiplying and sustaining placental stem cells.
At the birth of the placenta, there is an abrupt decrease in the levels of progesterone and estrogen; this is part of the natural hormonal trigger involving prolactin and a-lactalbumin which initiates lactation. However, too significant of a decrease in progesterone can affect maternal mental wellbeing. While mothers with retained and even re-absorbed placentas are able to produce milk, some placenta preservation advisors still recommend not consuming the entire placenta raw before the milk supply is established in order to not inhibit the lactogenic trigger.

Prolactin is a valuable hormone secreted by the placenta that increases milk production. “Progesterone, estrogen, and placental lactogen, as well as prolactin, cortisol, and insulin, appear to act in concert to stimulate the growth and development of the milk-secreting apparatus.” Not only does the placenta contain orally-active prolactin, but consuming placental prolactin also boosts the production of prolactin from the pituitary and ovarian secretion sites. In one study, 86% of mothers who were given dehydrated placenta saw increased milk secretion. Numerous other studies also confirm statistically significant increases in breast milk production due to placental consumption. Weight-loss associated with lactation has been consistently found in studies for decades. A study from The University of Michigan reported, “It is evident that the recovery from the postnatal decline in weight is hastened by the consumption of milk produced under the influence of maternally ingested placenta” – and that discovery was stated back in 1918! Studies since then have only confirmed what mothers know through personal experience and… common sense.

Endorphins are natural pain relievers; they counter stress by flooding the body with a profound sense of well-being. These compounds biochemically orient the mind to a positive and energised perspective, and the placenta is saturated with them! In fact, the concentration of beta-endorphins in placental tissue is higher than the levels in maternal and cord plasma. The benefits from endorphins are compounded by opioids, which are psychoactive chemicals more powerful than morphine in their pharmacological effects. One evidence-based benefit of eating the placenta is a decrease in maternal postpartum pain, which enables therapeutic rest and allows the mother to focus on infant bonding and breastfeeding. Pain from birth injuries can be significant immediately after birth and in that critical infant bonding period. Placental consumption of opioids quickly dissolves this distraction, so the mother may freely establish a loving connection with her baby. Placenta ingestion expert, Mark Kristal, explains, “The active substance in placenta and amniotic fluid has been named POEF for Placental Opioid-Enhancing Factor and produces a powerful ongoing opioid-mediated analgesia.” In addition to these advantages, a study in 2004 found that the placental compounds that block pain reception in the brain also serve to increase mental clarity and the mother’s ability to think critically. The ingestion of the placenta also increases the effectiveness of synthetic opioids. Mothers need less pain medication to achieve their desired pain management while also taking placental supplements. This is particularly beneficial if the mother values skin-to-skin contact and co-sleeping after birth since high dosages of pain-relief medications and co-sleeping have been consistently linked to newborn suffocation. Less pharmaceutical side effects also increase maternal responsiveness and therefore allow for a greater bonding experience.

In the last trimester, the placenta begins to secrete a corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) which enables the mother to mentally and physically handle extreme amounts of stress; by the time of birth, most mothers have up to three times their pre-pregnancy levels of CRH. When the placenta is born, the feedback system that regulated the hormone’s production is interrupted and the mother is left with only the CRH production of the hypothalamus. Because of this, postpartum mothers have low levels of this stress-fighting hormone making them more vulnerable to depression and less able to perform well under stress. The ability to multitask, overcome problems, and discover new solutions when obstacles arise are all skills directly affected by CRH hormones. Studies from the National Institute of Health (USA) have found that consuming the placenta stimulates and stabilises CRH levels. Endocrinologist George Chrousos, who led the NIH study, concluded that since the placenta contains large amounts of orally-active CRH, ingesting the placenta will stabilise CRH levels resulting in “a more stable emotional life for the mother.”

Dr. Alexandre Bonnin’s study on the placental production of serotonin recently overturned sixty years of conventional medical thought. He explains, “The placenta was seen as a passive organ, but we now know that it has significant synthetic capabilities.” The serotonin-rich placenta helps to regulate sleep patterns; mothers consistently report an increased ability to return to deep sleep cycles after late night/early morning feedings when they are taking regular doses of the placenta. Serotonin levels also aid in balancing weight, mood, and contribute to clearer cognitive functioning. Clearly, balanced levels of serotonin in the postpartum period are critical. Serotonin production is dependent on the body’s vitamin B6 levels, which, happily, the placenta is also rich in providing. Vitamin B6 is actually required for over 100 different enzyme reactions; the abundant resource of placental vitamin B6 serves to prevent depression in the mother, improve mental clarity, and also fortifies her immune system while supporting postpartum wound healing. Vitamin B6 is just one of the water-soluble vitamins in the placenta. According to the study “Transplacental Transport of Water-Soluble Vitamins: A Review,” the placenta is awash in A and B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, biotin, folate, and cobalamin), as well as vitamin C and vitamin D, which are useful in replenishing depleted body stores. The placenta is also full of fatty acids, amino acids, and glucose stores. Unbelievably, the placenta actually consumes three times the amount of glucose as the fetus, resulting in >50% consumption of uterine glucose delivery.