Expecting Mothers' Brains Shed Grey Matter

I might forget to do things not related to my baby, but I've learnt to prioritise her, says Ana

"Baby brain" is a cliche long-used to describe women becoming forgetful and feeling less capable during pregnancy.

But a recent study - the largest to date - indicates that pregnancy has a profound structural impact on brains and offers new clues into the neurological changes in mums‑to‑be.

It suggests that grey matter - the nerve-rich part of the brain involved in processing information, emotions and empathy - decreases by an average of nearly 5% during pregnancy.

But rather than being a cause for concern, these changes may be beneficial when it comes to caring for newborns, say scientists working on the project in Spain.

One of the dozens of women, now a new mum, who took part in the study told us she welcomed the findings and was "tired of pregnant women being infantilised".

"Rather than becoming dumber, we are becoming more specialised for the job," said Tania Esparza.

The BBC was given exclusive access to the Be Mother project and those who have been taking part in it.

The brains of 127 pregnant women were scanned - before, during and after pregnancy - and compared to scans from a smaller number of women who were not expecting.

The greater the changes in the brain, the more likely women were to say they were relating to, and bonding well, with their babies - the team of scientists found.

These might be positive changes when it comes to caring for newborns, says Prof Susana Carmona, director of the NeuroMaternal laboratory at the Gregorio Marañón Health Research Institute in Madrid.

"We find in biology, as in life, sometimes less is more."

This could represent the brain "rewiring" or remodelling its architecture to "prime it for motherhood", says Carmona, co-lead of the study along with Prof Oscar Vilarroya.

"I like to use the metaphor of pruning a tree," she says. "Some of the branches are cut to make it grow more efficiently."

- Author: Smitha Mundasad, BBC

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