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Comment and Mind

We need to start telling women how pregnancy changes their brain

Maternity services need to educate parents-to-be on how pregnancy will affect their brain - their life could depend on it, says Helen Thomson

By Helen Thomson

17 September 2024

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

“There are barely any areas of the brain that go untouched by pregnancy”

Jecapix/Getty Images

When I was expecting my first child, I knew what to expect. An expanding belly, a bout of morning sickness, perhaps a little sciatica. I’d been to birthing classes, I knew how to change a diaper and I was fully prepared for imminent exhaustion.

Except I wasn’t prepared. I was missing one vital piece of information: that pregnancy would change the structure and function of my brain – perhaps irreversibly.

No doctor or midwife…

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