As if mom did not have to go through enough with her pregnancy, she also has to deal with a lack of memory during pregnancy. This slight memory loss is a common problem with pregnant women and is often nothing to worry about.
Memory Loss and the Third Trimester
According to studies online, the third trimester is the worst time for memory during pregnancy. During these three months, the female is 15% more like to experience memory loss or lapse than women who are not pregnant. Some doctors believe this loss of memory during pregnancy could be attributed to the rise in oxytocin levels. Others believe the rise in female hormones above normal levels are the cause.
Short Term Memory or Long Term Memory
It seems the short term memory is the only one affected in the third trimester. The long term memories that have been stored remain intact for the duration of the pregnancy. The short term loss, however, can bleed into postpartum. Luckily, women who experience late pregnancy memory loss or post partum memory lapse often recover 100% after the baby is born or within one year of birth.
The Effects of Memory Loss During Pregnancy
There are no real physical effects of losing memory during pregnancy. There are, however, mental side effects of the condition. Many women feel depression, disoriented or full of anxiety after a short period of time with difficulty remembering the most common things. This stress can be harder on the pregnancy than the memory loss. The less stable the mental condition, the less prepared the women will be to raise her baby in a healthy and happy home.
Three Ways to Improve Memory During Pregnancy
While the loss of memory may be common, the pregnant woman does not need to sit back and forgot why she wants to remember. Three tools to use for better memory retention are reviewing, learning, associating.
- Reviewing the information you have already learned or already know will help to keep that memory fresh and bright for the pregnant woman. The memory loss will not be complete, but the haze could be enough to cause stress in the pregnant woman's life.
- Learning about a topic can increase memory retention. Learning how to create the best cheesecake is a great choice, but retaining what you have learned is about more than just memorizing the steps. Learning about the cheesecake and where the recipe originated may help to remember the steps.
- Associating is G.O.O.D. NASA is just one of the government communities that use Mnemonics. NASA stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Learning new words, topics and just about anything can be returned to this style of Mnemonics.
The pregnant body will go through some of the most dramatic changes during pregnancy. The majority of these changes may be physical, but the effects can render the female mentally unstable. Learning how to deal with loss of memory during pregnancy is the best choice for overall pregnancy help.