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Persistent anxiety linked to cognitive lapses

Women with consistently higher anxiety symptoms reported more forgetfulness, distractibility, and unintended actions during pregnancy and early postpartum.

  • By

  • Andrea Surnit

  • October 28, 2026

  • 4 min

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  • 1

    In a longitudinal study of 56 pregnant women, higher anxiety symptoms were associated with more self-reported cognitive difficulties during pregnancy and about 6 weeks postpartum.

  • 2

    Higher depressive symptoms were associated with greater cognitive difficulties, with a significant difference in total cognitive failures postpartum but not during pregnancy.

  • 3

    Meeting physical activity guidelines was not independently associated with statistically significant differences in cognitive functioning.

  • 4

    Prenatal physical activity modified the association between depressive symptoms and cognitive failures, which increased more slowly among women meeting activity guidelines.

  • 5

    The small observational study relied on self-reported measures and cannot establish that physical activity improves cognition or that mood symptoms cause cognitive failures.

Original Source(s)

Persistent anxiety linked to cognitive lapses

  • by Andrea Surnit

  • October 28, 2026

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