Is “Baby Brain” Real?

Used to be dismissed by pregnant women as the mere “fatigue” of carrying another developing human life, does an Australian research finally proves that it is a real and measurable?

By: Ringo Bones 

“Baby brain” – the so-called mental fog many women say they experience during pregnancy, is a genuine, measurable phenomenon, a recent Australian study has just found. Researchers at Deakin University undertook a mental analysis of 20 studies involving more than 1,200 women. They found out that overall cognitive functioning was poorer in pregnant women than in non-pregnant women. “General cognitive functioning, memory and executive functioning were significantly reduced during the third trimester of pregnancy, but not during the first two trimesters,” the authors wrote. Executive function covers attention to detail, planning and problem solving. 

The study published in the Medical Journal of Australia found changes to cognitive functioning and memory occurred early in pregnancy, but did not become apparent until the third trimester. “The declines start to happen between the first and second trimester and then look like they stabilize but are most obvious in the third trimester,” senior author Associate Professor Linda Byrne said. Lapses were more likely to be minor – such as forgetting or failing to book medical appointments, rather than impaired performance at work, or an inability to navigate complex tasks. “Baby brain is most likely to be noticed by mothers-to-be and those closest to them, with women remaining within normal ranges of memory and cognitive function.” 

Professor Byrne said the results were consistent with recent findings of long-term reductions in brain gray matter volume during pregnancy. “It looks like the reason pregnant women have gray matter reduction is because they’re probably recruiting those areas to more important areas associated with the business of child rearing – so things like bonding and social condition.” She said.