Placenta Encapsulation FAQ's
Read through these commonly asked questions about placenta encapsulation to find answers to your questions.
Why is the placenta so good for me?
Your placenta carries a number of health benefits and is full of beneficial hormones and nutrients which are vital to postpartum healing and restoration. Ingesting it helps your body to regulate and transition back to your normal physiology as well as conferring very important benefits to your baby. Clients report an increase in energy and milk production along with a decrease in postpartum depression symptoms, recovery time, and postpartum bleeding.
Which method of encapsulation is right for me?
Regardless of which type of method you choose, all of them are beneficial. Our experience shows that consuming the RAW and Balanced Methods confers the greatest benefit both in the number of capsules available for consumption as well as the increased availability of needed hormone supplements. The Subtle method is more beneficial to those who are sensitive to iron or hormone supplements and want a more gentle effect.
Are there any negative side effects or risks?
Placenta encapsulation is completely safe as long as it’s done but a trained, skilled, and certified specialist. Additionally, ensuring that proper sanitation and disinfection procedures are followed is a crucial part of encapsulating your placenta so make sure that you use ONLY a Certified Placenta Encapsulation Specialist.
What do I do with my placenta before it’s encapsulated?
You can put it in a zip-top bag and refrigerate it or put it in a cooler on ice within 4 hours of delivery.
How do I get my placenta to you once I've delivered?
You'll just need to text your specialist when you're in labor and again once you've delivered. Your specialist will give you an estimated pick-up time and pick your placenta up from your place of delivery. Then they'll drop everything back off with you once it's ready!
Can you encapsulate my placenta if it’s frozen?
Absolutely! We will encapsulate a frozen placenta up to 9 months after birth. The encapsulated placenta can still be beneficial for a mom struggling with postpartum depression, energy, or milk supply. It can also be tinctured and saved for use during menstrual cycles and even menopause.
Do you offer Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) preparation?
Yes we do offer TCM-inspired preparation but we call it our Subtle Method. There are a number of recommendations on the proper way to prepare the placenta via TCM as there isn’t an agreed-upon method of encapsulation. Some of the considerations include whether or not to steam the placenta, whether herbs should be added to the finished product or not, and what the optimal temperature should be to dehydrate. Each particular method has its pros and cons. Using our Subtle Method, the placenta is lightly steamed with ginger prior to dehydrating it. The result of steaming beforehand is a loss in mass, so yield is diminished and the effects of the capsules are more subtle due to loss of iron and some hormones. If you do decide to have your placenta encapsulated this way, be sure to let us know ahead of time.
Do you offer payment plans?
We are very flexible and will accept payments if it’s financially easier for our clients. However, we do require that all services are paid for in full by the time we pick up your placenta.
Is there scientific research to support placental consumption?
Although fairly new to the United States, many countries support and endorse feeding the placenta to the postpartum mother because of its health benefits, not only for the mother but also for the newborn. In studies done to date, there are only positive findings related to ingestion of placenta including increased milk production, increase of protein and lactose found in mothers milk, healthier weight gain for baby, reduction in postpartum bleeding, increased recovery, and fewer incidences of postpartum depression.