Pregnancy brain
“Pregnancy brain” or pregnancy dementia is actually a phenomenon experienced by many women during pregnancy. It refers to the temporary changes in cognitive functions, such as memory, difficulty concentrating or being very forgetful, and the ability to process information, that some women experience during pregnancy.
Although not all women suffer from pregnancy dementia, many report feeling more forgetful, having difficulty multi-tasking or feeling that their mental acuity is reduced during pregnancy. Scientists believe that hormonal changes, stress, fatigue and other factors during pregnancy contribute to these changes in cognitive function.
However, there is not yet an unambiguous scientific consensus about the precise causes or the extent to which pregnancy dementia occurs. Some studies suggest that pregnancy brain is real, while other studies find less convincing links between pregnancy and cognitive performance.
So, although some people consider it an urban legend, many women do experience changes in cognitive functions during pregnancy and the period afterward.
