Some brain regions shrink in pregnancy and regrow after the birth

Brain scans show that some brain regions become smaller and thinner during pregnancy, and that most of these changes reverse after giving birth. This suggests the brain is restructuring itself during and immediately after pregnancy, potentially to prepare for parenthood.

“Pregnancy is probably the most intense hormonal event that a human being can go through. So, it was reasonable to think the brain will change during pregnancy,” says Susana Carmona at the General University Hospital Gregorio Marañón in Spain.

Previous studies involving…