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Pregnancy increases forgetfulness in women12 February, 2008 A recent study conducted in Australia has confirmed what is known as ‘baby brain’ – a condition in which pregnant women become more forgetful, more so during the third trimester. Researchers at Australian Catholic University and University of New South Wales analyzed the results of 14 different studies from around the world which tested the memory performances of over 1,000 pregnant women, mothers and non-pregnant women. It was found that pregnant women performed significantly worse on some aspects of the test, but not all. The hardest tests for the pregnant women were those which involved new or difficult tasks. The Australian researchers found that expecting mothers were significantly impaired on memory skills that require extra effort, such as learning new telephone numbers or multi-tasking. Though 'baby brain' does not cause loss of long-term memories, new information and short-term memory could be affected. The scientists found that the condition occurs in 80% of pregnant women. A woman's memory can be impaired for at least a year after giving birth, though the effects are minor and mainly relate to unfamiliar or demanding tasks. Julie Henry, researcher, wrote in the study, appearing in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, “The memory deficits many women experience during and after pregnancy are pretty much like the modest deficits you would find when comparing healthy 20-year-olds with healthy 60-year-olds.” The researchers suggest that, in order to enhance memory, pregnant women should get plenty of rest, socialize with others, eat vegetables and do exercise. Scientists are at a loss to explain why a woman's memory suffers at such an important time. Some psychologists blame it on the lifestyle factors – like sleep deprivation after childbirth.
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