Saturday, June 22, 2013

Pregnancy Hormones May Cause Memory Problems


A lot of pregnant women actually suffer from forgetfulness and clumsiness during pregnancy. A research shows that hormone levels are so elevated during pregnancy that they may be having an adverse effect on the brain cells. There could a link between pregnancy and memory problems.

A research that was conducted took into account the various stages of pregnancy. According to the research, the first trimester in pregnancy did not show any visible set of problems related to memory. However, when women were given simple questionnaires to fill in their second and third trimesters, they performed a lot worse. Also, women tend to get worried during pregnancy if they will be able to function normally after giving birth. The phase of memory loss actually lasts for quite some months even after pregnancy.

Pregnancy causes several psychological problems like low mood levels and anxiety disorder. It is known to cause prenatal and postnatal depression. These conditions may be affecting the memory in women during pregnancy also.

Hormones could be playing a big role in causing memory loss. While typically hormones get regulated in the body for the safety of the mother and child, some hormones when produced excessively in the body may not suit the brain cells. Higher rate of sex hormones also have an effect on the neurons in the brain. Memory is a brain function that usually takes place in the hippocampus and it is this region of the brain that the scientists feel is adversely affected by the circulating hormones. Mood swings and anxiety that extend after pregnancy in the form of post natal depression also causes memory loss after pregnancy.

However, researchers agree that more research needs to be conducted in this field in order to definitively find out what causes memory problems in pregnant women.

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