The notion of “pregnancy brain” and its symptoms such as memory loss and general “fogginess” has recently been discussed by Laura M. Glynn, a professor of psychology at Chapman University. While much research has been done on the teenage and menopausal brain, the pregnant brain has not been studied much. Doctors however have suspected for decades that the “hormonal bath” of pregnancy has helped women prepare for motherhood. Recently, Dr. Glynn along with Curt A. Sandman of the University of California-Irvine, Glynn published a paper describing “maternal programming” … a necessary task for women. Though the woman may be losing some memory, she is also gaining new functions necessary for bonding with and caring for her baby. “While there may be some less-than-ideal effects of this remodeling… these are some really important processes” says Glynn.
This research may help to reassure pregnant women that the negative effects of pregnancy are not imaginary, and serve a purpose. “I think people take some comfort from our findings and they don’t feel like a crazy person.” Newsweek February 27 and March 5, 2012