Baby brain is not a myth

New Deakin University research shows “baby brain” does exist, but scientists say more research is needed to determine its effect on expecting mothers.

The meta-analysis of 20 studies, examining a total of 709 pregnant and 521 non-pregnant women, showed women do experience what’s scientifically defined as ‘cognitive changes” during pregnancy.

Researcher Associate Professor Linda Byrne, a psychologist and neuroscientist in Deakin’s School of Psychology, said symptoms of the phenomenon – colloquially known as ‘baby brain’ – could include poorer concentration and absentmindedness, with memory problems most commonly reported.

“So that seems to confirm a lot of what we hear anecdotally where women say they start forgetting things during pregnancy – they put the car keys in the fridge or miss appointments,” Associate Professor Byrne said.

“The studies we analysed showed general cognitive functioning, memory, and executive functioning performance of pregnant women was significantly lower than in non-pregnant women, both overall and particularly during the third trimester of pregnancy.

“The data also showed that the memory performance of pregnant women appears to decline between the first and second trimesters.”

Lead researcher Sasha Davies, a PhD candidate in the School of Psychology, said it was important to note that there were limitations to the available data used in the study.

“We know that other factors can impact on things like memory, and many of these weren’t accounted for in the data,” Ms Davies said.

“For example, there was little information on women pre- and post-pregnancy, making it hard to compare the same women over time.

“There was also no distinction made for women with multiple children and we know that sleep deprivation, often a big part of new parenthood, can leave people’s minds cloudy.”

Ms Davies is hoping to gain a better understanding of how women’s brains are affected during pregnancy, by instigating a study of her own.

Deakin’s School of Psychology is presently recruiting women who are planning a pregnancy as well as those now in the first trimester of their pregnancy for the study.

“The study will use sensitive neuroscience techniques to track changes in cognition before, during, and after pregnancy,” Ms Davies said.

“We also hope to use this information to see how ‘baby brain’ might affect health outcomes for pregnant women.”

To find out more, head to babybrainresearch.com.