The National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted a study that focused on CRH (Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone), an hormone produced by the hypothalamus, and an important stress reducer. It was found that the placenta secretes CRH in pregnancy, and that in the third trimester, the levels in the bloodstream increases threefold.
However, in the postpartum period, the lower than average levels of CRH triggered depressive symptoms. This led researchers to conclude that the production of CRH by the placenta in pregnancy brought the hypothalamus to stop its production; after the birth of the placenta, women found their bodies lacking in CRH, and that it took considerable time for the hypothalamus to compensate and start its production of CRH.
The placenta has been used in Traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. A 1954 study has shown positive results (86%) in increasing milk supply in women expected to have a difficult lactation by giving them dried placenta to consume. More recently, research has shown that placentophagy may enhance pain tolerance by increasing opium-like substances activated in childbirth.
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