Pregnant women are sometimes embarrassed by their forgetfulness and lack of focus, but perhaps they needn’t be. A latest study has found the “pregnancy brain” is real and it happens attributable to changes within the brain structure in expecting women.

The brain fog experienced while pregnant might be a part of an even bigger plan to bond the mother with the child, the study, published within the journal Nature Communications, found.

The researchers found a powerful association between increased levels of pregnancy hormones and changes to the neural architecture in specific areas of the brain.

Often known as “baby brain,” “momnesia” or “mommy brain,” the phenomenon may be very common. Nevertheless, measuring its effects has proved to be a scientific hurdle.

The lead creator, Leiden University neuroscientist Elseline Hoekzema, has worked on this aspect in her previous studies.

In a 2016 study, Hoekzema found that there was a big lack of gray matter while pregnant.

“While pregnant, a girl is exposed to an unparalleled flood of hormones,”  Hoekzema said in 2020. The researcher received a €1.5 million European Research Council grant for continuing research into this field that 12 months.

“Animal studies have shown that these hormones trigger far-reaching changes within the maternal brain and behavior. In previous studies, we discovered that pregnancy renders long-lasting changes in human brain structure,” Hoekzema further said, reported ScienceAlert.

In the newest study, Hoekzema and her colleagues used MRI scans to map the brains of 40 women. The scans were taken before pregnancy, and in addition before and after birth, including a 12 months after the child’s delivery.

The scans were then in comparison with 40 women who weren’t pregnant at the moment.

Moreover, urine samples were collected every two to 4 weeks from the pregnant group to evaluate hormone levels.

The study was further supported by surveys and questionnaires to investigate nesting behaviors, sleep patterns and levels of psychological distress.

The outcomes, based on the 28 participants who accomplished the study, provided evidence that pregnancy changes the brain networking pattern. The change was most important within the Default Mode Network, an area related to contemplation and daydreaming, in response to the outlet.

“These findings suggest that the neural changes of pregnancy may render a blueprint that facilitates the following development of the mother-infant relationship, which could then potentially be further reinforced by the interaction with the infant,” the authors wrote within the paper.

Admittedly, finding a transparent link in these studies is difficult, making these findings speculative in nature. Nevertheless, more studies with larger sample sizes and higher analytical tools will assist in understanding these changes on the cellular level.

One thing is of course, pregnant women needs to be cut some slack the following time they zone out. In any case, they haven’t any control over it.