Women’s brains physically change through pregnancy to prepare them for motherhood

Recent research has shown that women’s brains adapt for motherhood by shedding grey matter. For many years, it has been joked that women develop ‘baby brain’ where they struggle with their memory and other tasks during pregnancy into early motherhood but there is new research which shows that actual adaptations are made in the brain to prepare women for time with their baby.

Grey matter is nerve rich and it is said that up to 5% of grey matter sheds during pregnancy. These changes are said to have beneficial impacts such as heightened, streamlined focus. Motherhood is challenging and it’s important that the brain is efficient in its use when caring for a newborn baby. Although there may be a memory deficit, the brain is just preparing for more required skills.

127 women were studied and the individuals who lost the most grey matter tended to have better bonds with their babies than those who had kept more of their grey matter. This suggests that losing the grey matter has specific advantages.

Just like when children become teenagers, their brains change, the same happens again in pregnancy and motherhood. Matrescence is the change and transition that women experience from pregnancy into motherhood. It is said to explain the physical, psychological and emotional transitions that women go through which can in turn, alter a woman’s identity completely, just like teenagers experience when they step into adolescence for the first time. Motherhood is a long-term developmental phase and so perhaps it is time to adapt how we think about mothers and make further adjustments and allowances as they experience huge biological shifts.

Women’s brains physically change through pregnancy to prepare them for motherhood

1. What is grey matter for?

2. Does baby brain really exist?

3. Why do scientists believe the reduction in grey matter during pregnancy may actually be beneficial rather than harmful?