Cognitive deficits in women after childbirth.

OBJECTIVE

To test the cognitive function of parturients in the days immediately after delivery.

METHODS

One hundred postpartum mothers who delivered normal full-term infants were tested on standardized neuropsychological tests--the Wechsler Logical Memory Test and the Wechsler Visual Reproduction Test. Their test results were compared with those of nonpregnant childless women, third-trimester high-risk pregnant women, and fathers of newborns.

RESULTS

Postpartum women scored significantly lower than nonpregnant women on both tests on the first postpartum day. The use of intrapartum analgesia mitigated the cognitive deficit. High-risk pregnant women and fathers scored lower than nonpregnant women only on the Logical Memory Test.

CONCLUSION

Objective documentation that postpartum women have transient deficits in cognitive function, particularly in memory function, can guide caretakers in the design of care plans for the postpartum lying-in period.