3 You-Won't-Believe-It Facts About the Female Brain

Being Pregnant

I've been kind of obsessed with the way the female brain works for some time now.

This week babble published my piece, Your Brain On Pregnancy. I have read The Mommy Brain, The Female Brain, Origins and endless articles on how hormonal shifts throughout our lives shape our experiences. I have google alerts for "estrogen" and "oxytocin."

Along the way, I've learned some really cool things.

Did you know:

  • Strippers make the most money when they are ovulating, and the least when they are menstruating.

  • A combination of things, including brain chemistry, cause women in labor to be extremely aware of what is going on around them. If a woman is not on pain medication she may look out of it- rolling her eyes, moaning, etc- but she can hear a pin drop in the room.

  • At around the age 50, oxytocin- the bonding, nurturing hormone- goes way down in women. This can pave the way for a woman's renewed interest in her career or passions outside of mothering. I thought this fact had interesting implications for those of us who become mothers very late in our child-bearing years.

I hope that as we learn more and more about the "female brain" we can draw more attention to some of the extraordinary things we're capable of doing and away from the idea that a woman's biology is a prison. When you hear "female hormones," what comes to mind?

For more on interesting facts about the female brain, visit Being Pregnant.

MORE ON BEING PREGNANT:
10 Brain-Boosting Foods for Pregnant Women
Mom-Recommended Cures for Morning Sickness
9 Ways Motherhood Changes Your Biology

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