Psychology Essay example -- Health, Pregnancy

Pregnancy can be a time of elation and excitement in a woman’s life, but few individuals will experience a pregnancy completely devoid of side effects. Many women experience universal physical symptoms such as nausea, weight gain and increased fatigue during pregnancy (Flaxman & Sherman, 2008). The processes associated with pregnancy and birth involves complex physiological and psychological changes in a woman’s brain chemistry (Draganski & May, 2008). According to Kim et al. (2010), a woman may experience various physiological effects based on a combination of hormonal and mechanical transformations during pregnancy (Kim, Leckman, Mayes, Feldman, Wang & Swain, 2010). Many pregnant women are informed to be wary of short-term memory loss, also known as ‘baby brain’. But studies performed by Christensen et al. (2010) provide scientific results that common belief of ‘baby brain’ in pregnant women is a myth (Christensen, Leach & Mackinnon, 2010). I n fact, several women display cognitive modifications during pregnancy, such as an increase in ability to correctly perform reference memory tasks and complex spatial tasks (Kim, Leckman, Mayes, Feldman, Wang & Swain, 2010). Data presented by Kim et al. (2010) suggests that the brain of an expectant mother undergoes hormonal and structural neurological changes in order to prepare itself for the physiological and psychological demands and responsibilities of motherhood (Kim, Leckman, Mayes, Feldman, Wang & Swain, 2010). Reference Memory Reference memory refers to an individual’s ability to recall previously learned facts and information through interactions within their environment (Draganski & May, 2008). A study composed by Draganski et al. (2008) to test reference memory in pregnant ... ...ggests that pregnancy not only has a positive effect on aspects of cognition, but also provides influences on learning, decision making, motivation, and resource utilization (Pawluski & Galea, 2006). Due to various ethical restrictions, the data compiled on experiments performed on pregnant female, human-brain specimens is limited. Despite the restrictions on availability of human data, findings from experiments on animals are still beneficial in relation to humans. Although some pregnant females may suffer from some form of temporary loss in proper cognitive functioning, this loss does not have any permanent effects on brain functioning. Perceptions of cognitive impairment in pregnant women may reflect other factors such as stress, an increase in mental focus on the pregnancy, or even sleep-loss, none of which fall into the category of being a cognitive deficit.