Baby brain myth busted

February 8, 2009 by Baby Chums  
Filed under: Celebrity Baby News, News, Pregnancy

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Baby Brain or, “Preg head”, the amnesia and general mental deterioration thought to affect pregnant women or females who have recently given birth, is a myth. So say’s the latest research from Australian mental health scientists.

A research project by the Australian National University in Canberra over a 10 year period into the phenomenon concludes that “baby brain” is an urban myth. Rather than suffering a slump in mental and verbal abilities during the early stages of motherhood, women’s cognitive abilities improve when they become pregnant. Researchers claim that the improvements could be permanent.

The chief researcher, Professor Helen Christensen said: “Women often report problems with memory and reasoning after they become pregnant. But the latest findings from our decade-long study, the most in-depth to look at this issue, has proven that they do not.”

This is direct contradiction to other studies. Angela Oatridge, of Hammersmith hospital in London, reported that brain scans of pregnant women showed a 4% decline in size. Last year, two Australian researchers reported that pregnant women consistently performed worse on tests for memory and verbal skills.

Christensen interviewed 2,500 women aged from 20 to 24, first in 1999 and then in 2004 and 2008, she is adamant that her research is authoritative. Dr Craig Kinsley, of Richmond University in Virginia has also conducted research that mirrors Professor Helen Christensen’s findings.

Kate Winslet, Myleene Klass and Gwyneth Paltrow have all laid claim to having, “Baby Brain”.

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