Baby Brain' Does Not Exist; Forgetfulness During Pregnancy Is Not True: Study

Being forgetful and not thinking straight during and after pregnancy is not true, a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology said.

According to Mail Online, the said study is conducted by researchers from the Salt Lake City's Brigham Young University who investigated this long unexamined concept of 'mumnesia' with pregnant mothers believing that their ability to remember and solve problems is impaired when they are conceiving a baby or taking care of a newborn.

Researchers formed two groups of women who will be available to take a series of mental tests that will three hours to answer.

In one group, 21 women who are pregnant when the study was administered are gathered. The first test is given weeks before they deliver the baby and another a couple of months after childbirth.

The second group, meanwhile, consists of women who are never married and have never experienced pregnancy.

The participants underwent 10 neuropsychological tests measuring their memory, attention, language, executive abilities (such as problem solving) and visuospatial skills (the ability to process and interpret visual information about where objects are), NHS said.

They also have to answer questionnaires that will find out their mood, and levels of anxiety, quality of life, enjoyment and satisfaction.

Results showed that there is no significant difference between the two groups in all mental tests. However, Psychology professor Michael Larson, lead author of the study noted that pregnant women are not so confident in answering the test.

"I was surprised at how strong the feeling was that they weren't performing well. 'This feeling of, "I really am doing badly right now" exists despite the objective evidence that they aren't,"' Larson said.

Further, Larson said that the stereotype of having a 'baby brain' has subjected women to believe they have strong memory lapses. Further, he advised that the concept is 'all in the mind.'

Meanwhile, The Telegraph remembers an article, "Sluts", published in the 1960s written by Katharine Whitehorn. The article, that time, is said to have reinforced the idea of self-deprecating stereotypes that has influenced women's consciousness.