Placenta FAQ

Your placenta will be encapsulated in a sterile environment and is handled with the utmost respect and a loving consciousness. All placentas are gently washed to remove any excess blood before being dehydrated. You can choose between three methods of preservation; TCM, RAW or COMBINATION. Once dehydrated, the placenta is then ground and encapsulated using vegetable capsules (vegan) or flavoured capsules (not vegan) which are medium sized and easy to swallow.

• Prolactin
• Cortisone
• Interferon
• Prostaglandins
• Hemoglobin
• Gammaglobulin
• Thyroid stimulating hormone
• Gonadotrophin
• Urokinase inhibiting factor and factor XIII
• Human Placental Lactogen (HPL)
• Placental Opioid–Enhancing Factor (POEF)

Choosing which method best suites you comes down to a few things:

• If you are primarily concerned with retaining the highest concentration of nutrients and hormones from your placenta or adhere to a strict raw diet than go with the RAW method.
• If you feel you connect with the TCM philosophy of re-warming the body or are highly sensitive to caffeine, hormones or are emotionally sensitive than the TCM method would be more suited to you.
• Or, if you like the idea of both methods, you can choose the COMBINATION method. With this method the placenta is only lightly steamed to infuse some warmth into it and is then dehydrated at the RAW method temperatures to maintain more nutrients.

Very rarely unwanted side effects have been reported and can include: headache, too much energy, stomach ache or an oversupply of breastmilk. Typically these side effects can be easily resolved by adjusting the dose.

Placenta encapsulation is safe when carried out by a knowledgeable, professionally trained and experienced specialist. Be sure to ask your encapsulator about their training and experience!

I have completed extensive training through Full Circle Placenta Training and am a Certified Placenta Encapsulation Specialist. I maintain a current BC Food Safety certification for ‘Sanitation for Food Handlers’ and am blood-borne pathogens and infection control trained.

All reusable equipment is scrubbed with hot soapy water, rinsed and then immersed in a CCOHS approved hospital grade disinfectant or bleach solution for 20 minutes, rinsed again and dried.

I’m very fussy about cleanliness and sterilization of my equipment and preparation surface. I operate by strict food safety regulations and pay close attention to the details. I start and finish every encapsulation by sterilizing my work area with a highly concentrated bleach solution to kill any STD’s, blood-borne pathogens and any and all others germs. I use disposable equipment when possible or necessary and thoroughly wash and disinfectant all reusable equipment (see above).

Not to worry, your placenta can still be preserved and consumed. Consuming the capsules may even help you recover faster. If you do give birth by cesarean, just be sure the hospital staff are aware that you want to keep your placenta and ask them to bag it, label and refrigerate it for you.

It is possible that a small amount of the antibiotics will remain in your placenta and will therefore be in your capsules, however, this will not effect you receiving the benefits from encapsulation. If however you or the baby become infected and suffer from a fever during labour, then the placenta is best not to be consumed.

When choosing the TCM method of encapsulation, the process of steaming the placenta will sterilize any harmful bacteria. If you choose the raw method of encapsulation there will be a additional step of gently washing the placenta in a solution of apple cider vinegar and water to remove any residual before the placenta is dehydrated.

If the mother has HIV the placenta should not be consumed. In rare situations the placenta may be sent to the pathology lab for examination and would therefore may not be suitable for consumption.

Every placenta is unique and yields a different number of capsules. Different methods also effect the yield; using the RAW method generally yields between 150-200 capsules, TCM yields roughly 100-150 capsules and the COMBINATION method will yield about 125-175 capsules.

When your placenta is returned to you in capsules you will receive instructions on dosage, contraindications and care of your capsules.

Ideally, the placenta should be encapsulated and returned to you within 48 hours after the birth. If the process cannot be started within the first three days it is best to freeze the placenta. To do this, bag it and lay it flat in a food grade container. Placentas that have been frozen properly and protected from freezer-burn can also be encapsulated but the sooner your placenta is encapsulated the more you will benefit from it as it may lose some nutrients and hormones overtime.

Sign up for the service by filling out the online registration form. Inform your caregiver that you will be having your placenta encapsulated beforehand. If you are delivering in the hospital take two large, clean Ziploc bags and a food grade container with your name on it to the hospital. Once you deliver, have the placenta double bagged and then placed in the container and stored on ice or refrigerate it within three hours of the birth. (You can get ice at the hospital). Call me as soon as possible so I can get started on encapsulating for you right away. If you are delivering at home, double bag the placenta and place it in a food grade container, put it in the fridge and give me a call.