Each pregnancy appears to leave a unique and lasting imprint on a woman’s brain, according to a new study from researchers at Amsterdam UMC in the Netherlands.
The research, published February 19, 2026, in Nature Communications, involved repeated brain scans of 110 women during either their first or second pregnancy, and comparison scans from women who were not pregnant. The findings suggest that the brain changes associated with each pregnancy are distinct.
Previous research has shown that a first pregnancy primarily impacts brain networks involved in self-reflection and social processing. This network also changes during a second pregnancy, but to a lesser degree, researchers found. Understanding these changes is crucial as they may have long-term effects on a woman’s cognitive and emotional wellbeing.
The study builds on earlier work by Dr. Elseline Hoekzema, head of the Pregnancy Brain Lab at the Amsterdam University Medical Center, who previously demonstrated that pregnancy causes long-lasting changes in women’s brain structure, as detailed on the Hoekzema Lab website.
Amsterdam UMC emphasizes the importance of integrating healthcare practice, research, and education, as highlighted on their Spotlight page. The findings from this study contribute to a growing body of knowledge about the complex interplay between pregnancy and the brain.
