"Pregnancy Brain"...Insane in the Membrane?

"Pregnancy Brain"



0992527001601310629.jpgHearing people use the term "pregnancy brain" to justify mental "slips" has generated inquiry and insight for this week's blog.  The question being, is there really anything to "pregnancy brain" or do we just use it as an excuse for an "ooops" or being forgetful?

While examining this question, it becomes clear that many, MANY women report foggyness and forgetfulness during pregnancy.  The regular report of "pregnancy brain" could lead one to believe it is an actual condition, while others may believe that it is the power of persuasion as so many 'guides' regarding pregnancy list "pregnancy brain" (or at least the symptoms) as side effects of pregnancy.  If there is something to "pregnancy brain" it would almost have to be hormonally related.

When a woman is pregnant she has many times more estradiol and progesterone (hormones) in her system than normal.  Estradiol is involved in hundreds of body functions; during pregnancy it is thought to improve mood and mental clarity, among other functions. This doesn't correlate very well with the reported fogginess and forgetfulness...but wait, there's more....

Progeterone, the other prominent hormone during pregnancy, counteracts or balances Estradiol and can be attributed to the lack of mental clarity (one website compared concentrations of progesterone during pregnancy to "warm beer in the brain"). The combination of high concentrations of Estradiol and Progesterone can contribute to swings in mood and perceived mental clarity (or lack thereof).0551519001601310640.jpgSo we have a physiological mechanism for the "pregnancy brain"...what does research say?

When researching the topic,  there were plenty of blogs and anecdotal reports but only one real clinical trial to assess the topic. The research concluded that pregnant and new moms perform as well as non-pregnant women and showed no signs of cognitive deficits when focused on a task. 

Let's not be so quick to say that pregnancy brain is a myth according to research.  An important point is the research assessed women when they were "focused on a task".  This skews results; pregnancy brain often occurs with mundane or day-to-day tasks and details. The symptoms of pregnancy brain may be more prevalent when women lack the intention and focus as with a clinical trial.

While the doctors at Gallatin Valley Chiropractic do their best to be evidence based doctors, regardless of whether clinical trails fail to show cognitive deficits in pregnant women, we choose to BELIEVE the many, MANY women that report the "pregnancy brain" phenomenon and encourage compassion when dealing with women who may be foggy or forgetful while pregnant.


Questions or concerns, feel free to talk to your doctors at Gallatin Valley Chiropractic. Dr. Rachel Rising, D.C. is Webster Certified for pregnancy as well!
406-551-2177

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