Most people describe their experience of pregnancy as profoundly life-changing. Alongside dramatic physical changes to acommodate a developing foetus, pregnancy is a time of significant cognitive and behavioural adaptations to prepare for birth and a new identity as a parent. 

The Monash Pregnancy Study uses online questionnaires, tests of cognition and sensory processing and fMRI to help better understand the effect of pregnancy on how the brain learns and processes information that contributes to a sense of self.

We are now recruiting pregnant women to be part of this exciting study. To take part, you must:

• Be experiencing a low-risk pregnancy

• Be right-handed

• Have normal or corrected-to-normal vision

• Be able to travel to Monash Biomedical Imaging in Clayton, Victoria for in-person testing

• Be suitable for MRI and comfortable lying in an enclosed space

You can sign up to the study at any time during your pregnancy, though testing will take place in your third trimester, from 30 weeks gestation

We are also now recruiting healthy, right-handed women aged 32 to 40 who have never been pregnant and are not currently trying for a baby to be part of our age-matched control group.

*List not exhaustive. Please read the explanatory statement for full eligibility criteria

Our study was recently featured on Channel 7 news!