How pregnancy, puberty and menopause reshape the brain

Where it stands as of Sep 21, 2026

A team led by cognitive neuroscientist Sophie van 't Hof at Amsterdam University Medical Center scanned more than 1,000 people repeatedly across puberty, pregnancy and menopause and found each phase left a distinct signature: gray matter loss sped up during puberty and pregnancy, consistent with active brain reorganization, while menopause instead paused the brain's normal gradual shrinkage. Participants self-reported their menopause stage and were not tested for hormone levels, so whether falling estrogen and prog