After giving birth, you have several options for your placenta: donating it for medical use, burying or planting it, having it encapsulated, creating a keepsake, or simply letting the hospital dispose of it. Each comes with different practical considerations and, in some cases, real health risks worth understanding before you decide.
Donating It for Medical Use
Placental tissue has genuine medical applications. Hospitals and tissue banks use donated placental membranes in wound care, where they serve as biological coverings for burns, diabetic ulcers, and other difficult-to-heal wounds. Ophthalmologists use the same tissue to treat eye injuries and certain eye conditions. If you’re interested in donation, the Association for Advancing Tissue and Biologics maintains a searchable list of accredited birth tissue banks that accept placental donations.
Donation typically needs to be arranged before delivery. The tissue bank will screen you for infectious diseases and review your medical history, similar to blood donation screening. Not every placenta qualifies, and if your medical team needs to send the placenta to pathology (more on that below), donation won’t be an option.
Burying or Planting It
Burying the placenta, often beneath a newly planted tree, is one of the most common non-medical uses. The practice appears across many cultures, from Maori tradition in New Zealand to Navajo communities in the American Southwest, where burial connects the child symbolically to a place.
If you plan to bury your placenta, you’ll need to store it properly between birth and burial. Place it in a sealed container in the refrigerator and bury it within a few days, or freeze it if you need more time. Dig at least a foot deep to prevent animals from digging it up. Some families plant a fruit tree or flowering shrub directly over the burial site.
Encapsulation and Eating It
Placenta encapsulation involves dehydrating the placenta, grinding it into powder, and packing it into supplement capsules. Advocates claim the capsules prevent postpartum depression, boost energy, improve milk supply, and replenish iron and hormones. The Mayo Clinic is direct on this point: there is no evidence that eating the placenta provides health benefits.
More concerning, there is evidence of harm. In 2016, the CDC investigated a case in Oregon where a newborn developed a serious bloodstream infection twice from group B Streptococcus bacteria. The mother had been taking placenta capsules, ingesting two capsules three times daily starting three days after birth. When the CDC tested the capsules, they grew the same bacteria. Genetic sequencing confirmed the strains from the capsules and the infant’s two blood infections were identical, with zero genetic differences between them.
The CDC concluded that the encapsulation process does not reliably kill infectious pathogens. The temperatures used in dehydration are not high enough to sterilize the tissue. In cases where a mother carries group B Strep or the baby already had an early infection, ingesting contaminated capsules can recolonize the mother and pass bacteria to the infant through close contact or breastfeeding. The CDC’s recommendation was straightforward: placenta capsule ingestion should be avoided.
If you still choose encapsulation, know that the industry is unregulated. There are no federal standards for processing temperatures, handling, or testing. The person preparing your capsules is not required to hold any certification or follow food safety protocols.
Lotus Birth
A lotus birth means leaving the umbilical cord uncut so the placenta stays physically attached to the baby after delivery. The cord and placenta are left to dry naturally, often with the help of salt and herbs, until the cord detaches on its own. This typically takes 3 to 10 days.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has flagged this practice as a potential infection risk. Case reports have linked retained umbilical tissue to early-onset sepsis from Staphylococcus bacteria and to omphalitis, an infection of the umbilical stump. The decomposing placental tissue sits at body temperature for days, creating conditions where bacteria can thrive and potentially reach the newborn through the still-connected cord. While a direct bacterial link between the retained tissue and systemic infection has not been definitively proven in every case, the AAP considers the risk significant enough to caution against the practice.
Making a Keepsake
Some families create a placenta print, sometimes called a “tree of life” print, by pressing the maternal side of the placenta onto paper or canvas. The branching blood vessels produce a pattern that resembles a tree. This is a simple process you can do yourself with watercolor paper and the placenta’s own residual blood, or with nontoxic ink.
Other keepsake options include having a small piece of the dried umbilical cord preserved in resin jewelry or commissioning artwork that incorporates a tiny amount of placental tissue. These are niche services, but they’re increasingly available through birth workers and specialty shops.
When the Hospital Keeps It
In some situations, your medical team will send the placenta to pathology rather than releasing it to you. This happens when there are complications that the placenta might help explain: preterm birth, signs of infection during labor, stillbirth, poor fetal growth, or abnormalities visible on the placenta itself. Pathologists examine the tissue under a microscope to look for clues like inflammation, clotting problems, or infection that could affect your care or inform future pregnancies. If your placenta is sent to the lab, it may not be returned to you, or it may be returned only after examination, which can take days to weeks.
If none of these options appeal to you, the default at most hospitals is medical waste disposal. You don’t need to do anything special. Just let your care team know your preference, ideally before delivery day, since some hospitals require paperwork or advance notice if you want to take the placenta home.