Objective: To investigate possible impairment of memory during pregnancy.
Design: The performance of pregnant women in a variety of tests of memory was compared to that of controls.
Setting: The Bristol Maternity Hospital.
Subjects: Forty-eight volunteer pregnant women attending for routine antenatal checks were compared to 19 nonpregnant controls.
Main outcome measures: Subjectively perceived rating of memory impairment, objective measures of recall, recognition and priming memory.
Results: Pregnant and control groups were given a series of tests of memory at the end of which they were asked to rate their own memory at present compared to some weeks ago (when they were not pregnant). Of the pregnant women 39 out of 48 (81%) rated their current memory as being impaired; only three out of 19 (16%) of the control subjects did so. Objective tests revealed that the pregnant group was significantly impaired in the recall of lists of words, particularly when learning was incidental rather than explicit. The pregnant group was also significantly impaired in two measures of priming memory. No significant deficit was found in recognition. The deficits were found for both primigravid and multigravid women, and were present in all trimesters of pregnancy.
Conclusions: The majority of women believe their memory to be impaired during pregnancy. Objectively, during pregnancy there is significant impairment of memory as tested by recall or by priming, but not by recognition. The pattern of memory loss differs from that of other amnesic conditions. Information imparted to pregnant patients may not be retained as well as might be expected.