ons, including turning it into decorative jewellery. Parents who would rather keep the placenta looking more, well, placenta-ey can also have it turned into a photo frame.
Some artists for hire will also make prints with your placenta, even using the natural blood instead of ink or paint.
Other parents may choose to bury the placenta, symbolizing their baby’s link to the earth. Often a tree or some other greenery or flowers is planted on top, using the placenta as fertilizer. If you choose to do this, the placenta should ideally be buried deep enough so it is far out of reach of foraging animals so that it can decompose before coming into contact with the plant roots, according to parents.com. Digging a hole two feet deep, covering it with soil, and the planting the tree on top should suffice.
Using placenta materials in eye drops
The human placenta has also shown up in health products, the latest being eyedrops sold by an Edmonton business. The Calgary Trail Vision Centre imported and sold Regener-Eyes Ophthalmic Solution, drops which reportedly contain “bioengineered protein-based fluid, extracted from human placental-derived biomaterials,” according to the company website. The product, however, was never authorized for distribution by Health Canada, and was recently recalled by the government health agency.
Anyone who purchased or were prescribed the drops have been advised to discontinue their use immediately and contact Health Canada if they are experiencing any adverse effects.
Risks versus reward
During pregnancy, the placenta functions to nourish the developing baby with oxygen and nutrients, and also filters waste out of the baby’s blood, according to Mayo Clinic. The placenta is also rich in various forms of stem cells, key players in the regeneration and healing of blood and tissue.
Being raw human tissue that plays a role in filtering waste, the placenta may carry viruses or bacteria such as HIV, streptococcus, and/or hepatitis. Incorrect storage or transportation of the placenta can also lead rotting, leading to some serious health concerns if ingested.
Products containing placenta that are prepared by third parties — including buying or selling products containing someone else’s placenta, or sending your own placenta out to be made into a product that is returned to you — are subject to the Canadian Food and Drugs Act, meaning their safety and efficacy must be approved by Canada’s governing body. No products containing human placenta have been authorized for consumption in Canada, according to a Health Canada alert.
Donating placenta and after-birth tissues
Many moms may choose to donate or store cord blood contained in the after-birth, but some tissue banks will also take a placenta donation.
Tissues included in the placenta include the umbilical cord, amniotic fluid and amniotic sac, and may be used for treatment of wounds including ulcers and replacing tissue removed in surgery.
Tissue banks may require some blood tests be completed before the birth, as well as ask for access to medical records to ensure the donation is viable. Moms-to-be who are interested in learning more are encouraged to speak to their doctors about donation options for after-birth tissues.
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