Why are pregnant women forgetful? Why does pregnancy make us stupid? Why do people become “dumb” during pregnancy and after childbirth?

Myth one. Toxicosis

Weakness, nausea, loss of appetite - the memories evoked by this word cannot be called pleasant. Nevertheless, expectant mothers sometimes even rejoice at such phenomena, considering them a sign that childbirth will be easy. In fact, the symptoms described do not affect the outcome of childbirth in any way, and they are not toxicosis. Doctors consider them a natural adaptation of the body to a new position and changes in hormonal levels. Genuine toxicosis is a much more serious situation: vomiting attacks more than 2 times a day, lack of appetite, weight loss of more than 2 kg, dehydration, abnormalities in urine and blood tests. If adaptation ailments usually do not harm the health of the unborn baby, then toxicosis, which seriously worsens the condition of the woman’s entire body, can also pose a threat to pregnancy, and therefore requires treatment in a hospital.

Getting back in shape

It takes approximately 3-4 months to again and again think and act as effectively as before pregnancy.

Scientists add that the long-term consequences of this “deterioration of intelligence” are certainly positive: a woman’s brain creates many new neural connections during this time, which not only gives it “greater processing power”, but also protects it to a large extent from degenerative changes – for example, Alzheimer's disease.

I read a women's topic about these days and realized how many people live in the last century! Women, girls, invented silicone cups a long time ago! And you don’t have to use grandma’s pads! And tampons! You can buy it in an online store or in Chinese Ali, prices from 100 rubles to 2 thousand. Put it in and forget it! Until the next visit, use the sink with soap, wash it and it’s brand new again! Boil it once a month and put it in a bag. You can carry it in your purse, weighs 2 grams, the size of half a testicle. And so many women buy pads in packs! This is wildly inconvenient! Why do you need these grandmother's remedies? Even in a modern version? Does anyone use modern means? Or is everyone sitting on these old ones? It's summer!!! And you walk around with these smelly things!

420

Alilen

“A tourist from Germany died during bad weather in eastern France. Radio station France Bleu reports this.

A 51-year-old woman was killed in her mobile home when a tree fell, according to media reports. Her relatives were in the car with her; rescuers helped them get out.” Dry reports…..If you don’t know who died…Our Irochka is a passionate lover of polka dots and Provence, rock and skulls…. Remember Love…. We mourn...

303

Marquise no angels

Perhaps morality is nothing more than the most brutal manifestation of malice.

(Henri Beck)

1994 - Queen Margot (dir. Patrice Chereau) - in the role of Queen Margot - Isabelle Adjani

The name of Marguerite of Valois, Queen of France and Navarre, went down in history along with the image of a beautiful lady of the Renaissance, sung by Ronsard and glorified by the brush of Clouet. Contemporaries called her Minerva, patroness of the arts and sciences. Descendants will call her one of the first feminists. Competing with men in science and art, she also defended women’s right to freedom of choice in love...

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Angela Mitrofanskaya

And the heart is busy!)))

Good day! My son is now 3.7. He was hypoxic at birth. The boy speaks poorly, or rather does not speak, except for a few words: mom, dad, business, woman, give, water, drink. He can also repeat it syllable by syllable. The doctor prescribed us Pantogam, Semax, magnesium B6 and gymnastics. However, like all children who, for various reasons, do not speak. My son just became less whiny. I don't think there will be any benefit from the medications. Maybe someone had such a situation? What did you do?

Valeria

The child is 2.3 years old.. for a month after a mild ARVI (snot, etc. 37.6 maximum), his temperature is kept, and it fluctuates... When sleeping at night 36-36.7, after waking up it goes up... 37.3-37 ,6 by the end of the day, no matter what I do... Urine and blood tests are normal, ear, throat, nose are normal... Sugar is normal, worms and enterobiasis are negative... Cheerful, active, eats well.. The tooth came out while still in the beginning of the disease.. All the gums are calm... We were treated with miramistin + aqualor + genferon, then they prescribed sumamed, we also took it on drink.. Now on the 3rd day we are inserting kipferon.. Everything as prescribed by the doctor... But the temperature is still going through the roof... The doctor doesn’t know what’s wrong with us... where still apply? What should be examined? Girls, who exactly was in this situation? Please respond, tell me what to do? How did it go for you? What was diagnosed? Was there any diagnosis at all? Is it scary to think that I might miss the beginning of something serious?

Almost every woman expecting a child, at some stage during her pregnancy, begins to realize that it has become difficult for her to perform actions that were previously easy, one might say, automatically. The expectant mother has difficulty:

remembers new facts;
focuses on any task unrelated to her present position;
copes with problems at work that previously did not require any special effort to solve.

Where does absent-mindedness come from during pregnancy? Is it possible and necessary to fight this phenomenon?

After childbirth, will memory and other cognitive functions (thinking, including abstract thinking, cognitive functions of the brain, memory, intelligence, etc.) return to normal on their own or will it be necessary to take a set of measures in order to regain their previous “working form”?

Memory loss during pregnancy
Causes of memory loss in the first trimester
Scientific basis for late memory deterioration
How to restore memory after childbirth

But do any changes really occur in the body of pregnant women that cause absent-mindedness and forgetfulness, or does it just seem so to the woman herself and those around her who are trying to protect her as much as possible from various worries so that the woman worries less? Expectant mothers jokingly call their condition “pregnancy of the brain”, feeling a little complex due to a decrease in the ability to concentrate.

Studies of the cognitive functions of pregnant women are not carried out very often, but doctors and scientists currently have some data. And these data confirm: yes, memory and attention actually differ between non-pregnant women and those who are soon going to become mothers.

Of course, complete memory loss does not occur. However, it has been proven (in particular, research was carried out in the 21st century by teachers and students of the Dnepropetrovsk Medical Academy) that memory deteriorates as the duration of pregnancy increases, and this condition reaches its peak towards the end of the last trimester. Being distracted during pregnancy is normal. Let's look at its reasons.

Many women note problems with concentrating in the early stages. Why does memory disappear? In pregnant women, at the very beginning of the process of birth and formation of a new life, hormonal changes begin.

But for now, memory deterioration during pregnancy is more of a psychological nature. The reasons are often simple fatigue, mood swings and drowsiness, characteristic of the first trimester. The body has not yet adapted to the changes taking place in it, so it is difficult for a woman to cope with everyday responsibilities. Constantly makes you sleepy due to increased production, but here you need to get up early, work with clients, submit reports. In addition, the matter is often complicated, literally exhausting the expectant mother. Agree, it’s difficult to stay collected and focused when you’re constantly feeling nauseous and dizzy. The body “feels”: something “non-standard” is happening and requires rest. Hence the forgetfulness that irritates the employer.

As the fetus develops and the gestational age increases, objective causes of absent-mindedness become involved.

Inattention and pregnancy are, in general, inseparable companions. But why does the brain work so strangely during pregnancy? There are scientifically proven causes of absent-mindedness.

Scientists from the Dnepropetrovsk Medical Academy studied 30 women, observing them during pregnancy and after caesarean section. The following conclusions were drawn.

Pregnancy and memory are indeed connected in a special way, and two hormones play a major role here: estradiol and progesterone. Their levels increase steadily as the fetus develops, reaching enormous levels around -42 weeks. Poor memory is associated with an increase in the concentration of these hormones in a woman’s blood - it’s no joke, in a pregnant woman’s body there are thousands of times more of them than normal in an “ordinary” person!

In addition to these indicators, scientists studied others. In particular, the level of concentration of serum iron and hemoglobin. It turned out that their level does not change at all or decreases as labor approaches. Only estradiol and progesterone “get ahead” significantly.

Hence the deterioration of cognitive functions. The term “cognitive” combines the following functions:

the ability to remember and reproduce information;
ability to perceive speech;
speed of mental reactions.

Women jokingly say about themselves: “I’ve become kind of stupid,” surprised by the strange changes. Meanwhile, there is nothing incomprehensible in this phenomenon: in this way, the body is “about tasks, forcing the woman to concentrate on concentration before the main thing: the upcoming birth of a child. But don’t worry too much: the memory is not lost forever, everything will be restored soon.

Myth two. Fainting

In soap operas, pregnant heroines faint in almost every episode, but in real life this phenomenon is much more rare - and alarming. Dizziness and loss of consciousness occur in expectant mothers due to changes in the cardiovascular system: under the influence of the hormone progesterone, blood vessels dilate, their tone decreases, and with it blood pressure. Its sudden drop can cause the blood supply to the brain to deteriorate sharply, causing a temporary loss of consciousness - fainting. Unlike minor dizziness due to changes in body position, fatigue or stuffiness, fainting is considered a pathology. The expectant mother will need treatment and complete rest. Fortunately, such situations are typical only for the first months of waiting - in the second half, the pressure returns to the normal level that was observed before pregnancy.

Causes of absent-mindedness and forgetfulness in pregnant women

Changes in the limbic system of the brain

In expectant mothers, the process of neurogenesis—the formation of new neurons and neural connections in the hippocampus—slows down during pregnancy. This part of the brain is responsible for short-term and long-term memory, as well as spatial orientation. When you remember where you parked, your hippocampus is at work. Alas, so far there have been no studies of the size of the hippocampus in pregnant and non-pregnant women.

Stress, lack of sleep, anxiety

There is a version that memory deterioration is associated with low quality sleep, stress and anxiety due to significant changes in lifestyle, worries before childbirth and upcoming motherhood. Perhaps switching attention from little things (like where you left your comb or how much you need to pay for the Internet) to global issues - maintaining pregnancy and its successful completion with natural childbirth - is intended by nature in order to protect a woman, make her more vigilant and careful.

Approximate count

Common misconceptions include the idea that pregnancy lasts 9 months. Even obstetricians determine its duration approximately: they calculate the expected date of birth by adding 280 calendar days, or 40 weeks, to the date of the last menstruation. It is impossible to determine more precisely the date of birth of the baby: in fact, a normal pregnancy can last from 37 to 41 weeks. But American obstetricians made adjustments even to this conditional range: due to changes in the environment and lifestyle, the pregnancy period has lengthened, and the norm in the United States is now considered to be 300 days of pregnancy, that is, 42 weeks.

Myth three. Strange tastes

Contrary to popular belief, not all expectant mothers want to eat chalk, swallow pickles in jars and mix strawberries with herring. A change in eating habits can indeed occur while expecting a baby - this is one of the first subjective signs of pregnancy that the woman herself feels. It is caused by the fact that the developing fetus takes a large amount of vitamins and minerals, and the need for the most popular of them increases sharply. The unborn child uses calcium, sodium, iodine, folic acid (vitamin B9), and vitamin E (tocopherol) especially actively. Calcium deficiency in a woman can cause an irresistible desire to eat chalk or lime, sodium - a craving for salty foods, iodine - for fish and seaweed, vitamins E and B9 - for greens. Vitamin and mineral preparations help restore balance. But much more often, unexpected vagaries of appetite hide not so much physiological as psychological factors, because the desire to eat strawberries at 3 a.m. (and, most importantly, to force your husband to go to the store!) is a need of the brain, not the stomach.

Myth four. Whims

Going out in the middle of the night in search of strawberries is not the most difficult of the tests that expectant mothers sometimes throw at their loved ones. This is because, under the influence of hormonal changes, a disruption in the processes of excitation and inhibition in the cortex and subcortical structures of the brain may occur. Because of this, a woman becomes nervous, capricious, and whiny. But this is not always the case, because difficulties during pregnancy often affect weakened, vulnerable areas of the body (“where it’s thin, that’s where it breaks”). Therefore, the likelihood of problems is higher in those women who, before pregnancy, had already encountered migraines, neurosis, and sleep disorders. The main healers in this situation are time and rest. By the second trimester, hormonal levels and the functioning of the nervous system are adjusted, the body’s adaptation to pregnancy is completed, and the woman behaves much calmer.

Myth fifth. Stupidity

“Pregnant cretinism,” which husbands and employers fear, is in fact not very common and, most importantly, a short-lived phenomenon, again caused by the adaptation processes of the first trimester. The already mentioned surge in the hormone progesterone and a decrease in vascular tone leads not so much to “stupidity” as to a decrease in reaction and some lethargy. All this is a manifestation of the pregnancy protection mechanism inherent in a woman’s genes, the priority of which is established immediately after conception. By mid-wait, activity usually returns. And some women, on the contrary, are inspired by the thought of the upcoming birth of a baby, and they spend all 9 months very fruitfully.

Going Dull Before Our Eyes: What Makes Pregnant Women Dumb?

They say pregnant women want three things: sleep, eat and write. By the way, almost all pregnant women say this about themselves. And businesswomen add that during pregnancy they also became stupid and could not immediately solve the simplest production problems. Is there such a thing in official medicine as “stupidity in pregnant women” and, if so, what is the reason for the decrease in intelligence during pregnancy?

Why does pregnancy make us stupid?

A friend calls me here, naturally, all in tears. Everyone, he says, has arrived: “My brains are draining straight into my stomach, I’m starting to forget the simplest words, I’m putting the bread in the refrigerator, I’m dialing the phone number on the intercom. And then I found an IQ test in an old magazine, and it… dropped.”

Of course, I consoled her as best I could. She said that she herself did not shine with intellect during pregnancy (and frankly speaking, in some places she was a very inhibited person), but now, please, I remember what “defenestration” is and I can distinguish it from “defecation”. But, really, what happens to us women during pregnancy?

Take a look at any online community: here and there: “I’m growing dumb before my eyes.” The opposite sex is also not far behind and, instead of words of support, may well blurt out: “So why discuss this with her? She's pregnant!" General slowness, forgetfulness, inhibition of reactions, inability to think analytically are not common to all pregnancies, but to many.

This problem in general is called the clever term “encephalopathy of pregnancy.” In medical reference books you will find only the first part of this term (“encephalopathy”) with a frightening definition – “brain pathology”. In the case of the pregnant variant, there is no need to be afraid - we are talking about natural processes and, importantly, reversible.

As we know, large-scale changes begin in the pregnant body with the goal of “building” a full-fledged healthy child. Accordingly, all the forces of the mother’s body are thrown at this construction site. The uterus needs to be intensively supplied with blood, which means the entire circulatory system changes.

The hormones progesterone and estrogen “come onto the scene”, the level of which increases significantly; performance indicators of the central nervous system change; the nature of the processes of inhibition and excitation changes; the activity of the cortex decreases... All together this works to ensure that the small organism not only develops successfully, but also does not suffer from the external actions of the mother.

This is why pregnant women fall into a kind of “comatosis”: they become leisurely, drowsy, incapable of intense exercise, they completely concentrate on the baby growing inside. If the doctor does not see any pathology in your behavior and well-being, there is no need for treatment.

Everything will go away on its own with childbirth (although some people like to intimidate with “lactation encephalopathy”, when the hormone “prolactin” begins to “steer” the mother’s life). But if memory deterioration, absent-mindedness and lethargy scares you: help yourself. For example, you can “as a preventive measure” solve algebra problems from a school course before going to bed, or finally learn “Eugene Onegin” by heart.

It is important not to close yourself off from the outside world, even if you are on maternity leave. And it’s not bad if your surroundings are not only pregnant mothers, and conversations will be limited not only to strollers, maternity hospitals and diapers. But don’t overdo it: the “brain” doesn’t want to pull the load and let it. Listen to what nature tells you - it won’t get worse.

Author: Marianna Anikeeva, especially for [email protected] Based on materials from: [email protected]

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Myth six. Tooth loss

The opinion that pregnant women cannot have their teeth treated with anesthesia is also a myth. A mother’s toothache can have a worse effect on the baby than properly selected anesthesia. “One son, one tooth,” our grandmothers sighed. Nowadays, expectant mothers can only face this if dental problems have bothered them before and were not resolved in time. Pregnancy itself does not cause dental diseases, but it accelerates their development. One of the reasons is the increased consumption of calcium in the second half of pregnancy, the deficiency of which can be especially great if before conception the woman ate little dairy products or was overzealous with diets. In addition, during pregnancy, the amount of the enzyme lysozyme in saliva, which breaks down bacterial walls, decreases; they begin to multiply more actively in the oral cavity, and the risk of caries increases. Doctors' advice is simple: try to cure your teeth before conception; During pregnancy, eat enough dairy products or take vitamin and mineral supplements, visit the dentist in the first trimester and, if necessary, undergo the prescribed treatment.

Spatial memory impairment

In the later stages of pregnancy - in the last trimester - a woman becomes more acutely aware of her own absent-mindedness and helplessness. In addition to limitations in movements and movements (she has to ask her husband to fasten his sandals or lace up his shoes, she cannot go far from home so as not to be afraid of feeling bad or even starting to give birth), she has doubts about her mental abilities. The expectant mother complains that she has “stupidized” and is not thinking well, she forgets where she put things and documents, and does not remember numbers and dates. This is stressful and upsetting, but it is completely normal.

The closer the due date, the more spatial memory is impaired in pregnant women. This type of memory refers to the location of objects in space, spatial orientation. A violation is observed when a person cannot remember where he put the thing and why he came into the room, does not know how to return home, it would seem, along the route that is familiar to the point of automatism.

Memory problems in women begin in the second trimester of pregnancy and continue for several months after childbirth. With each trimester of pregnancy, memory deteriorates by 11%, and it is not hormones that are to blame for forgetfulness, which everyone usually refers to when they cannot explain some strangeness in female behavior.

Spatial memory impairment

Myth seventh. Loss of beauty

Pregnancy makes a woman beautiful - most future dads are sure of this (no matter how much their wives sigh in front of the mirror). A woman becomes especially good in the second trimester of pregnancy, when the ailments of the first months recede, the skin condition improves under the influence of hormones, the hair becomes thicker, the breasts enlarge, and a small tummy serves only as a piquant decoration. If you take care of yourself from the very beginning of pregnancy, you will be able to prevent many of the appearance problems that women fear. The prejudices that pregnant women should not use cosmetics, dye their hair and nails, and generally visit beauty salons, so as not to inhale “chemicals” there, are a thing of the past. Cosmetic products and physical exercises selected with the help of specialists will help reduce the risk of developing stretch marks, cellulite, deterioration of breast condition, and spider veins. So, the universal prevention of all these problems is swimming. It will strengthen muscles, increase skin tone, improve blood circulation, and relieve stress on the spine. Swimming pool exercises are beneficial for most expectant mothers at all stages of pregnancy; the main thing is to get the approval of your doctor before starting classes. More useful and interesting materials for expectant mothers can be found in our channel on Yandex.Zen.
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