Teenagers may believe that their parents are irretrievably stupid, but research shows they can't blame parenthood itself- neither pregnancy nor motherhood affect cognitive functioning. "Our research suggests that although women - and their partners - think there may be a link between brain capacity and pregnancy and motherhood, there are certainly no permanent ones that we can find," says Prof Helen Christensen, director of the Centre for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University. Christensen began studying a group of young people in 1999. One of her earliest results was that pregnancy did not cause memory loss, even though many participants blamed forgetful episodes on their condition (AS, July 2000, p. 12). She conducted follow-up interviews in 2003 and 2007. Subjects completed tests of immediate and delayed memory, concentration and ability to translate codes. Pregnancy and motherhood did not affect any of these.
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