For the first time, researchers have mapped brain changes during pregnancy in detail. In a recent study published in Nature Neuroscience, they describe a case study of a single participant who underwent brain scans (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) at 26 different timepoints: before and during pregnancy, and in the first 2 years after childbirth.1,2 The study revealed widespread anatomical changes throughout the brain. This article aims to explore the concept of ‘Pregnancy Brain’ and discuss the groundbreaking findings from recent research.
What is ‘Pregnancy Brain’?
‘Pregnancy Brain’ also called baby brain, mom-nesia, or mom brain, refers to the cognitive changes many mothers experience during and after pregnancy. Symptoms include forgetfulness, brain fog, and trouble with focus and concentration. These changes can vary widely among women and can persist while raising children.
Is ‘Pregnancy Brain’ real?
Yes. While ‘Pregnancy Brain’ is not an official diagnosis, it’s a very real condition. Studies have shown that a mother’s brain undergoes widespread changes during pregnancy that could explain this previously described symptoms.1-7 A mother’s brain anatomy changes during pregnancy in preparation for birth and caring for a child. The mother’s brain seems to shrink slightly during pregnancy. After childbirth, the mother’s brain regains some of the lost volume over the years, but it does not seem to fully return to its original size.1
Why do expectant mothers experience ‘Pregnancy Brain’?
Research has shown that the changes seen in some of the deeper brain regions due to pregnancy hormones are crucial for inducing maternal caregiving behavior.3 This supports the interpretation that these brain changes during pregnancy help mothers make cognitive and behavioural adaptations to parenting.6 This maternal caregiving behavior such, as responding adequately to the needs of the baby after birth, is, from an evolutionary perspective, vital to ensure the survival of infants. The reductions in brain volume during pregnancy should therefore be viewed as part of evolutionarily beneficial adaptations that occur during this life transition.
Pregnancy: a crucial period of neural adaptation? Recent findings enhance our understanding of neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to reshape itself, during major life transitions. Just as adolescence involves significant brain remodeling, pregnancy is another crucial period of neural adaptation. This is a milestone in the emerging field of neuroscience known as ‘matrescence’ — the idea that pregnancy is a developmental stage in adulthood.2
What other factors might lead to ‘Pregnancy Brain’?
‘Pregnancy Brain’ might be influenced by several other factors. Significant hormonal changes like the drop in estrogen after childbirth, disturbed sleep patterns, mental health problems linked to pregnancy, such as postpartum depression, and the increased cognitive load from new responsibilities might collectively impact a mother’s day-to-day cognition, leading to what is commonly referred to as Pregnancy Brain.
If you are experiencing ‘Pregnancy Brain’ along with other symptoms, such as a loss of interest in things that usually excite you, you are feeling sad or depressed, you have trouble sleeping or lost your appetite for two weeks or more, you may want to follow up with a mental healthcare provider or your General Practitioner.
What can one do to help with ‘Pregnancy Brain’?
Acknowledging that ‘Pregnancy Brain’ is a challenging but temporary phenomenon that occurs during pregnancy is important. Having grace with oneself, and maintaining a brain-healthy lifestyle, including light exercise, a balanced diet, and therapeutic support if needed, can help mitigate cognitive decline, as we know from research on other populations. Regular brain health advice also applies – and don’t be shy to use lists to remember daily, weekly, monthly tasks, set reminders to not miss appointments, and use other brain hacks from our getbrainhealthy.org brain health tool.
What now?
Recognizing the significant brain changes that occur in mothers during pregnancy should greatly impact how we perceive and support women’s health during and after pregnancy. Addressing these cognitive changes requires a comprehensive approach involving healthcare, workplace policies, legal protections, and public awareness. Healthcare providers should offer guidance and mental health support to pregnant individuals. Public awareness campaigns can help dispel myths about ‘Pregnancy Brain’ and reduce workplace discrimination. Furthermore, workplaces should adopt flexible policies to support pregnant employees, and legal protections can prevent discrimination.7
To sum it up
The phenomenon of ‘Pregnancy Brain’ underscores the profound and lasting changes that occur in a mother’s brain during and after pregnancy. These adaptations are not merely temporary inconveniences but essential transformations that enhance maternal caregiving abilities and contribute to long-term cognitive health. Despite the challenges, these changes should be viewed positively as part of the natural evolution of motherhood. While brain preparation for delivery remains an emerging and overlooked area in neuroscience, recognizing and supporting these adaptations through comprehensive healthcare, flexible workplace policies, and increased public awareness can better support mothers during this critical life stage and beyond.
Fun Fact
Did you know that human babies are born relatively underdeveloped compared to other mammals?
This is because of an evolutionary trade-off between having large brains and the physical constraints of childbirth. Human babies’ brains grow rapidly, and if they stay in the womb longer, their heads might become too large to pass through the birth canal. This early birth allows their brains to continue developing outside the womb, benefiting from the stimulating environment provided by their caregivers. Seen from this perspective, the phenomenon of ‘Pregnancy Brain’—with all its cognitive shifts—may be an important adaptation that helps prepare mothers to care for these especially dependent newborns.8
- Pritschet L, Taylor CM, Cossio D, Faskowitz J, Santander T, Handwerker DA, et al. Neuroanatomical changes observed over the course of a human pregnancy. Nat Neurosci [Internet]. 2024 Nov 16;27(11):2253–60. Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01741-0
- McCormack C, Thomason M. Pregnancy restructures the brain to prepare for childbirth and parenthood [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2025 Apr 3]. Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03942-w
- Ammari R, Monaca F, Cao M, Nassar E, Wai P, Del Grosso NA, et al. Hormone-mediated neural remodeling orchestrates parenting onset during pregnancy. Science (1979). 2023 Oct 6;382(6666):76–81.
- Orchard ER, Rutherford HJV, Holmes AJ, Jamadar SD. Matrescence: lifetime impact of motherhood on cognition and the brain. Trends Cogn Sci. 2023 Mar 1;27(3):302–16.
- Luders E, Kurth F, Sundström Poromaa I. The neuroanatomy of pregnancy and postpartum. Neuroimage. 2022 Nov 1;263.
- Pawluski JL, Hoekzema E, Leuner B, Lonstein JS. Less can be more: Fine tuning the maternal brain. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2022 Feb 1;133.
- Younis J, Bleibel M, Masri J El, Ismail A, Abou-Abbas L. Exploring the influence of pregnancy on cognitive function in women: a systematic review. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2025 Dec 1;25(1):88.
- Gómez-Robles A, Nicolaou C, Smaers JB, Sherwood CC. The evolution of human altriciality and brain development in comparative context. Nat Ecol Evol. 2024 Jan 1;8(1):133–46.
