Placenta Pills and Milk Supply

Key Takeaways

1. Placenta encapsulation does NOT negatively affect milk supply. What does impact milk supply are stress, exhaustion, misinformation, and lack of support—not placenta pills.

2. Placenta pills contain hormones that SUPPORT lactation. Oxytocin and prolactin play a direct role in milk letdown and production.

3. Postpartum anxiety and depression are linked to hormonal crashes. Placenta encapsulation helps stabilize estrogen, progesterone, and CRH, which helps keep those mood swings in check, which helps lessen and postpartum mental health struggles.

4. Plan ahead for postpartum support. Having a comprehensive postpartum plan, a knowledgeable IBCLC, and a postpartum support system set up before birth can make a huge difference in your recovery.

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If you’ve ever Googled “placenta encapsulation breastfeeding,” “placenta pills milk supply,” or “does placenta encapsulation help with breastfeeding,” you’ve probably seen a mix of conflicting opinions.

Clients will sometimes tell me, “My lactation consultant told me to wait a few weeks before taking placenta pills because they could interfere with milk production.”

This advice is wrong.

Let me explain.

After birth, estrogen and progesterone levels plummet—that’s a huge reason postpartum moms feel like an emotional wreck. Once the placenta detaches from the uterine wall, all hell breaks loose hormonally. Your hypothalamus (which usually regulates hormones) is basically on a coffee break, taking a few weeks to get the memo that it needs to get back to work. So in the meantime, nothing is really regulating your hormones. Placenta encapsulation helps bridge that gap while your body recalibrates.

So, What Does the Science Actually Say?

Your placenta is packed with postpartum-supporting hormones, including:

Estrogen & Progesterone – Helps regulate emotions and balance postpartum hormones.

Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH) – Supports stress management and is linked to reducing postpartum depression risk.

Prolactin – The hormone responsible for milk production.

Oxytocin – The “love hormone” that promotes bonding, emotional regulation, and milk letdown.

Iron – Essential for energy, postpartum recovery, and preventing anemia.

Low Milk Supply

Most of the fear around placenta pills hurting milk supply comes from a single 2017 pilot study by Young et al. This study looked at hormone levels in a small sample group and made vague suggestions about possible effects.

But the sample size was too small to draw any real conclusions. But most importantly, the majority of women in the study reported zero breastfeeding issues. And lastly, decades of anecdotal evidence say otherwise.

For real, if placenta consumption negatively affected milk supply, mammals—including humans—would’ve evolved differently.

In fact, an older study from 1954 by Soykova-Pachnerova reported that 86% of women consuming their placenta saw an increase in milk production.

You Don’t Need a Magic Fix for Milk Supply

I’m not going to sit here and say that that taking placenta capsules will magically make you produce milk. They won’t. But neither will lactation cookies, special teas, supplements, or stashes of formula “just in case.”

You are a mammal. Mammals make milk. That’s literally what your boobs are for.

The “not making enough milk” panic is largely manufactured. Sure, some women have legitimate medical reasons for low supply, but for most, the real problems come from bad advice, unnecessary interventions, and a society that sets moms up to fail.

So then, what does support breastfeeding success?

• Feeding on demand

• Co-sleeping

• Lowering stress

• Prioritizing rest

• Hydration

• Nutrition

• Trusting your body

What then, harms Milk Supply?

1️⃣ Stress and exhaustion – The real milk-supply killer. Since placenta pills help regulate stress hormones, they actually support better breastfeeding.

2️⃣ Lack of solid breastfeeding support – Every mom hears conflicting advice about breastfeeding. (If you hire me for encapsulation, I’m always there to provide evidence-based guidance when you need it.)

3️⃣ Iron deficiency – Low iron directly correlates to low milk supply. Placenta capsules replenish bioavailable iron and can help prevent postpartum anemia.

4️⃣ Misinformation – If placenta consumption caused milk supply issues, mammals would be struggling across the board. But guess what? It’s only humans—who don’t typically eat their placentas—who have this problem. Hmmm…

Prepping for Postpartum as a South Jersey Mom

If you’re pregnant in South Jersey and thinking about placenta encapsulation, here’s how to get started:

Learn about your options. Find a trusted placenta encapsulator with the knowledge and training to keep you safe.

Find an IBCLC who knows their stuff. Have her on speed dial. Not all lactation consultants understand placenta encapsulation, so if you’re taking placenta pills, make sure yours is informed.

Prioritize postpartum support. Breastfeeding success is about way more than milk supply. You need the right support system, solid information, and the confidence to trust your own body.

The Bottom Line

There’s zero legitimate evidence that placenta encapsulation harms milk supply. On the flip side, there’s plenty of biological reasoning, anecdotal experience, and research that suggests placenta pills actually support postpartum recovery, hormone balance, and stress reduction—all of which set you up for better breastfeeding success.

You don’t need placenta pills to make milk. But if you want to recover faster, stabilize your mood, and give yourself a better shot at stress-free breastfeeding, placenta encapsulation is an awesome tool to have in your postpartum arsenal.

Want to book your encapsulation? Click here for info.