Pregnancy Brain: Causes, Effects, And Ways To Manage It

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Have you ever wondered why details seem to be slipping your mind since your pregnancy? While pregnancy is known to cause a slew of changes of both physiological and psychological nature, a marked alteration may also occur in memory. This change, known as the ‘pregnancy brain,’ is associated with the inability to carry out your to-do lists and other cognitive tasks efficiently. While it is a relatively regular occurrence, you may need to find ways to work around these lapses. This article gives you all the information you need on pregnancy brain fog to cope with it efficiently.

What Is Pregnancy Brain?

The pregnancy brain, also known as mommy brain, maternity brain, maternal amnesia, or momnesia, refers to spasmodic occurrences of forgetfulness that occur during pregnancy and continue postpartum. This can range from general absent-mindedness to verbal memory problems and significant issues recalling organized information (1) (2). Brain fog begins around the time the mother is 5 weeks pregnant when the baby’s organ development has already started (3).

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While several speculations and myths surround pregnancy forgetfulness, there is no evidence suggesting pregnancy brain fog is a debilitating condition. Thus, it does not require treatment as it poses no evident threat to the mother’s health or the baby’s development.

Research finds

Studies indicate that maternal amnesia can continue beyond six years after a woman’s first pregnancy (4).

Is Pregnancy Brain Normal?

Pregnancy brain is relatively common and is seen to be reported by around fifty to eighty percent of pregnant women during and after pregnancy

(5). A study on memory loss in pregnancy indicated that 81 percent of the study sample reported a memory impairment. In addition, the test results quoted in the study demonstrated significant deficits in test performances involving recollection and priming memoryⁱA process in which an encoded response is unintendedly presented to subsequent stimuli (6). However, contradictions continue to arise in the form of anecdotal studies and self-assessment reports on the factual modality of this condition.

What Are The Symptoms Of Pregnancy Brain?

A few identifiable signs and symptoms of pregnancy brain include (2) (7):

• Brain fog
• Impaired attention and concentration
• Mental fatigue
• Coordination issues
• Problems in learning new things
• Issues with recollecting information
• Problems in paired associationⁱA brain process establishing a relationship between a stimulus object and an emotional or behavioral response and naming
• Problems in organizing information
• Misplacing things

Allison, a mother of three boys, opens up about the impact of pregnancy brain on her daily life. She shares, “I would consider myself a very organized and well thought out Type A gal, but since becoming pregnant…I’m a total airhead. Pregnancy brain is very real, people. Before I was pregnant, I hardly ever lost things…Since becoming pregnant, I have lost both my keys and my favorite jacket. (Keys have since been found; the jacket is still MIA). I also manage to leave my purse behind almost everywhere we go… I’ve always been bad with directions, but since becoming pregnant, it has gotten worse. I went to visit my father-in-law at the wrong hospital after his hip surgery even though I knew exactly where I was supposed to be going (i).”

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Point to consider

The hormonal changes during pregnancy can affect spatial recognition memory (8), represented as problems in spatial memory.

What Causes Pregnancy Brain?

Physical, chemical, and psychological causes lead to cognitive and structural changes in the maternal brain, influencing the onset of pregnancy brain. While research is still underway on several of these factors, here are a few known contributors to pregnancy forgetfulness.

1. Hormonal changes

Pregnancy is marked by changes in essential hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, oxytocin, and prolactin. Several studies indicate that these changes in estrogen and progesterone affect the hippocampus, causing cell loss and verbal memory loss (7) (9). Oxytocin is another hormone associated with significant impairment in memory performance and recall (10).

2. Stress

The ongoing physiological and psychological adaptations and lack of adequate sleep during pregnancy can cause the body to change cortisol levels. An increase in these levels during stress is linked with brain or mental fog (5). In addition, prenatal glucocorticoidsⁱAn important steroid hormone extracted from cholesterol that facilitates fetal adrenal development also affect the hippocampus functioning during pregnancy causing problems in memory and recall (9).

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3. Other causes

Health conditions such as anemia, neurological problems, thyroid dysfunction, head trauma, auto-immune disorders, and recurrent epileptic seizures cause brain fog and cognitive changes in pregnant women  (11) (12). In addition, changes in the maternal immune system, depression during pregnancy, antepartum depression, and thiamine deficiency-induced Wernicke encephalopathyⁱA degenerative disorder characterized by neurological symptoms occurring due to vitamin B1 deficiency have also been linked with diminished cognitive functioning and pregnancy brain fog (13) (14) (15).

Quick fact

Studies indicate that preeclampsia is linked to changes in the functioning of the hippocampus, making the brain vulnerable to an early onset of dementia in women (16).

How Does The Brain Change In Pregnancy?

Longitudinal studies indicate that pregnancy can cause relatively permanent changes in the brain’s gray matter in mothers. A process similar to synaptic pruning occurs in the brain where the gray matter gets reduced in volume, helping the mother focus more on her baby (17) (4).

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In addition, the increased production of prolactin, which influences lactation and parent-child bonding, also plays a role in growing maternal instincts by inducing relatively permanent adaptations in the maternal brain (18). However, while it is helpful in bonding with their babies, very little is known about its negative consequences and contribution towards the onset of pregnancy brain.

What Are The Measures To Cope With Pregnancy Brain?

Pregnancy brain and its induced discomfort can be remedied using a few simple strategies.

1. Use lists

Writing down a list of tasks, important appointments, and other assignments can help you stay connected with routine work. Labeling items, using a recipe book, and making grocery lists will also help keep track of other domestic work that needs to be done.

2. Prioritize

Arrange the tasks in sequential order based on their importance, urgency, and difficulty to avoid cramming and multitasking. Also, ensure a delegation protocol for tasks that need not require your personal attention.

3. Set reminders

Using a phone or e-calendar to set reminders will help keep track of your work. Reminders can also be set for drinking water, mealtimes, medications, and exercising to avoid skipping routines.

4. Be active

Physical activity helps keep the body fit and healthy while also being beneficial for the baby’s growth. While it is not essential for the mother to perform strenuous physical exercises, an occasional walk in nature or yoga can help relieve stress.

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5. Eat healthy

It is important to maintain a diet chart and water log for you to keep yourself and your baby healthy. A maternal diet can help reduce stress during pregnancy and protect the body from health risks.

6. Get sleep

Sleep deprivation can affect your cognitive performance and induce stress. Thus, make it essential to maintain a sleep schedule, including naps, so that you are not exhausted.

7. Relax

It is essential for the mother to be stress-free during pregnancy to ensure healthy baby development. Practicing relaxation techniques, indulging in hobbies, and being around people who make you happy can play a major role in keeping you healthy.

8. Seek help

It is best for you and your baby to seek help when in physical or mental distress. Any anxiety about forgetfulness, the baby, your family or spouse, and the delivery process can be addressed by being informed and expressing your needs. Also, seeking medical help for any adverse indications will also put your mind at ease about the baby’s well-being.

Infographic: Measures To Cope With Pregnancy Brain Fog

Pregnancy brain can feel distressing to the mother due to an inability to stay organized with memory and task performance. However, a few methods can help cope with brain fog symptoms. Here is an infographic containing a few ways to manage the condition during pregnancy.

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Illustration: Pregnancy Brain: Causes Effects And Ways To Manage It

Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team

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Reviewer Author Editor Fact Checker

Dr. Holly SchiffPsy.D.

Dr. Holly Schiff is an experienced clinical psychologist with around nine years of experience in the field. She did her Doctorate of Psychology in School and Community Psychology from Hofstra University and graduated from Fordham University.

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Apoorva KMSc (Counseling Psychology)

Apoorva is a certified psychological counselor and NLP practitioner. The assistant professor-turned-writer believes that her experience as a teacher, psychologist, and researcher enables her to guide MomJunction readers on child development and mental health.

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Rebecca MalachiBSc

Rebecca is a pregnancy writer and editor with a passion for delivering research-based and engaging content in areas of fertility, pregnancy, birth, and post-pregnancy. She did her graduation in Biotechnology and Genetics from Loyola Academy, Osmania University and obtained a certification in ‘Nutrition and Lifestyle in Pregnancy’ from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU).

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Reshmi DasMSc

Reshmi Das has over four years of experience as a clinical coordinator, medical content writer and medical conference coordinator. Her continuous interest in medical journals and writing makes her write well-researched articles for MomJunction.

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