Can Pregnancy Cause Memory Loss?

It may not be the first thing that occurs to all expectant mothers, especially since it’s not obviously apparent that these two things can be linked in some way, however if you are finding that your memory seem to be suffering during pregnancy you are not alone. An increase in forgetfulness such as missing appointments, forgetting where the car is parked and losing track of what you were doing is actually a common symptom of pregnancy in more than 50% of pregnant women. For the most part, memory loss during pregnancy is restricted to short term memories such as general day to day information. This means you don’t need to worry about getting dumber because of pregnancy, you won’t forget anything you have learned already. You may experience problems remembering new things such as new telephone numbers and shopping lists but you will not forget long term memories.

The scientific research into this area has been sparse at best although many scientists do now agree that memory loss is directly linked with pregnancy while a few others insist that memory loss during pregnancy is only brought about by the stressful situation especially during the woman’s first pregnancy. It’s important to remember that memory itself is a very complex and mostly unexplored phenomenon and our knowledge of the brain and memory is still very limited.

It has also been shown that women who report higher levels of stress and anxiety are also suffering from an increased memory loss and it is therefore necessary to assume stress has an integral role in memory loss. Since we need to aim to eliminate stress and tension during pregnancy in order to avoid health problems and a possible miscarriage, it makes sense to try to tackle this issue first anyway. If you find yourself suffering from memory loss during pregnancy try to unwind a little and take time out to relax. Having a hot soak in the bath is always a good way of de-stressing and pulling you away from the stress and tension of everyday life.

Additional studies have also suggested that mothers to be are also somewhat overloaded with information which can also be a factor of memory loss. Not only does an expectant mother have to continue with all the day to day tasks of life such as shopping, working, household chores and more but also begin a whole new learning journey about their pregnancy and their child. Most pregnant women, especially if it’s their first time, will try to assimilate as much information as possible about their pregnancy such as the changes they can expect, the dangers to look out for, what to do to prepare, what to eat and what not to eat. This means there is quite simply a massive amount of new information being obtained which can end up causing some minor short term memory loss. Essentially speaking, the responsibility of motherhood and worries about the pregnancy are the main concern for the expectant mother and other thoughts such as the groceries are pushed to the back of the mind.