Sep 23, 2008 7:20 pm US/Eastern
Health Watch: Pregnancy And Memory Loss
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Cecile Mirman is pregnant with twins. Although her waistline is expanding rapidly, her memory is not. And she is not alone. Many moms-to-be complain of embarrassing forgetfulness and they insist baby is to blame.
"I know I had a couple, maybe, like conversations, you know, with people, and then couldn't remember what I talked to them about," Mirman said. "I know I've run out of the house a couple of times where I forget something."
The phenomenon has many names, from "pregnancy brain" to "mommy brain" to "momnesia," and is more common than some might think.
"I'd say, 80 to 90 percent of women say there's some degree of memory change. I think it's very common," said Dr. Keith A. Eddleman from the Mount Sinai Medical Center.
Fortunately the condition only affects short-term memory. The big picture stays clear.
"I am definitely not forgetting any of the big important things like my due date," Mirman laughed.
Many explanations have been offered for the condition. Some say pregnancy brain has to do with the sleep deprivation many expectant moms experience for their 40 weeks. Or raging pregnancy hormones could be to blame.
Others believe that it's progesterone, which is a hormone that is very common in pregnancy and produced in significant amounts in the first trimester. However, having baby on the mind may also result in pregnancy brain, as many pregnant women spend so much time thinking about the changes baby will bring that their short term memory suffers.
Getting plenty of sleep and exercise may help, but rest assured, pregnancy brain is as temporary as pregnancy itself. It goes away in everybody, virtually everybody. So don't be afraid that you'll lose your mind forever.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
World's Most Useless Facts
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments