What is Pregnancy Brain?
Pregnancy brain is a condition that affects expectant mothers, usually during the first and third trimesters. Sometimes known as placenta brain or baby brain drain, the condition is usually characterized by short-term memory loss or forgetfulness. Some medical experts say that pregnancy brain is a myth, but evidence shows that many women have experienced this condition. Studies linking memory and pregnancy are limited, and their results have been irregular. However, pregnant women have claimed to experience frustration while trying to remember the most simple everyday tasks. Some working women who are pregnant have become emotionally distressed because pregnancy brain has rendered them unable to work effectively. It’s understandable that women’s emotional levels vary greatly during pregnancy. Hormonal surges, combined with the fact that pregnant women must eat for two and may be getting less sleep, are contributory. A great deal of the mother’s time is taken up with thoughts of the bab
In a nutshell, pregnancy brain is “the feeling of walking into a room, going after something, and not remembering what you went for about five to 10 times a day,” she says. “Pregnancy brain is about forgetting where you put your keys or forgetting three of 27 items in the grocery store,” adds Donnica Moore, MD, a women’s health expert based in Far Hills, N.J. New-York-city-based author Esther Blum, RD, noticed that her memory was lapsing during pregnancy. “I would call my best friend and we’d have a whole conversation and then I’d call her later on in the day to talk about the same thing,” she tells WebMD. There are many possible — and plausible — explanations for pregnancy brain, Brizendine explains. For starters, “the brain is being marinated in a huge amount of [the pregnancy hormone] oxytocin during pregnancy,” says Brizendine. Oxytocin has been shown to have amnesia-like effects during pregnancy.
There may also be an evolutionary aspect to pregnancy brain, Moore says. “It has been postulated that from an evolutionary standpoint this memory impairment may be helpful so that women will forget about other stuff and focus on caring for the child.” Put another way: Having pregnancy (and babyhood) on the brain can result in pregnancy brain. Many pregnant women and new moms spend a lot of time thinking about the changes that having a baby will bring or taking care of their newborn and as a result, their short-term memory may suffer. Pregnancy brain “should serve as your first tip-off that when you are preparing to have a baby, you need to simplify other areas of your life because life is about to get a lot more complicated,” Moore says. “It can also be an important reminder to take prenatal vitamins as nutritional deficiencies may play a role in pregnancy brain,” she says.
