Study Shows 'Security Bubble' Grows in Third Quarter

New research published in the journal Scientific reports, shows that women experience significant mental and physical change during later stages of pregnancy.

The study, conducted in Cambridge by scientists from Anglia Ruskin University and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Addenbooke Hospital, focused on peri-personal space.

It is the region immediately surrounding the body that our brain constantly monitors, as this is where most interactions with the outside world occur. It is commonly described as the inside area of ​​a person who is dependent on another person.

With the help of an audio-tactile test, the scientists measured for the first time the limits of the peripersonal space during pregnancy.

In addition to testing women who were not pregnant, the researchers tested the women in the second trimester (about the 20th week), when the abdomen started to enlarge, in the third trimester (about the 34th week), when the abdomen was clearly visible. and about eight weeks after childbirth.

The study found that the sense of personal space of a pregnant woman develops, but only during the third trimester of pregnancy. No changes were observed in the early stages of pregnancy or after delivery, when the size and shape of the peripersonal space were both comparable to those of nonpregnant women.

Lead author Dr. Flavia Cardini, a senior lecturer in psychology at Anglia Ruskin University, said, "Pregnancy involves mbadive, rapid changes in the body, both externally, when the body changes suddenly. formally and internally, while the fetus develops.

"Our findings suggest that when the body undergoes significant changes, by the time the abdomen is clearly enlarged, the maternal brain also begins to make adjustments in the space immediately surrounding the body.

"The peripersonal space is considered a" safety bubble "and it is possible that the expansion observed at the end of the pregnancy is intended to protect the vulnerable abdomen during the daily interactions of the patient. Thus, as the mother's hump develops, the peripersonal space is the means by which the brain ensures that the danger is kept at hand. "