There is no evidence to support the idea that pregnancy causes lapses in memory, a new study has concluded.

It is a popular belief that pregnancy and motherhood affects a woman’s memory causing her to become more forgetful and absentminded, a phenomenon commonly referred to as ‘baby brain’.

The team recruited 1241 women aged between 20 and 24 and tested their cognitive function. The women were followed up at four-year intervals in 2003 and 2007, and given the same cognitive tests. In total, 76 women were pregnant at the follow-up assessment, 188 became pregnant between assessments and 542 remained childless.

The researchers found no significant difference in cognitive function between women who were pregnant at the time of assessment and those that were not. This contradicts findings from previous studies.

Lead author Helen Christensen said: ‘Obstetricians, family doctors and midwives may need to use the findings from this study to promote the fact that ‘placenta brain’ is not inevitable.’

Reference

Christensen H, Leach LS, Mackinnon A. (2010) Cognition in pregnancy and motherhood prospective cohort study. British Journal of Psychiatry 196: 126-32.