A woman holds her stomach at the last stages of her pregnancy in Bordeaux April 28, 2010.
A woman holds her stomach at the last stages of her pregnancy in Bordeaux April 28, 2010. Reuters/Regis Duvignau

An Australian study has found that “baby brain” is a genuine phenomenon. Subjective symptoms include absent-mindedness, reading difficulties and forgetfulness.

Pregnant women have been reporting the tendency to be forgetful during pregnancy. It had only been a myth for years until science has proven it to be true. It is a phenomenon that generally manifests as minor memory lapses like failure to remember appointments, a study has learned.

Aussie researchers conducted the study, which was published in the Medical Journal of Australia. They found that baby brain exists. It specifically impacts women during the third trimester of growing a baby..

Deakin University researchers carried out a meta-analysis of 20 studies that involved over 1,200 women. General cognitive functioning, executive functioning and memory were reduced during the third trimester, the study authors wrote.

Baby brain is not likely to happen during the first two trimesters. Eighty-one percent of women who have been pregnant report baby brain.

Overall cognitive functioning was poorer in pregnant women compared to those who are not. Planning, problem-solving, and attention to detail, on the other hand, are part of the executive function.

Memory performance declined during pregnancy’s early stages, but the decline either slowed or stopped mid-pregnancy. The authors said the magnitude of changes in overall cognition and memory during the third trimester is also clinically significant.

According to Dr Melissa Hayden, the small reductions in performance across pregnancy will be noticeable to the women themselves. It may also be noticed by those close to them. There may be some minor lapses like forgetting to book medical appointments.

More significant consequences are less likely. Mothers-to-be are not likely to experience impaired ability to navigate complex tasks or reduced job performance, and women are expected to remain within normal ranges of memory as well as cognitive function.

More research about how the phenomenon affects the quality of life of a pregnant woman is needed, the study authors also noted.

Associate Professor Linda Byrne said the new findings have to be interpreted with caution. Byrne said the findings were consistent with new findings of long-term reductions in brain grey matter volume while pregnant. She added that it appears the reason soon-to-be moms experience grey matter reduction is that they may be recruiting those areas to more important areas related to rearing a child.