The Female Brain- The Developmental Stages of Her Brain

The female brain is a "fabulous learning machine" that governs her life from birth to birthing and beyond. 

Here are just a few of her recent findings about what makes the female brain unique, as well as some of the fascinating changes that occur in her brain over the course of her life.

Birth of the female brain

• Up until eight weeks, every brain is female. In males, a huge testosterone surge hits and kills cells off in the communication center, and grows more cells in the sex and aggression centers.
• In females, huge amounts of estrogen spur brain growth and enhance circuits and centers for observation, communication, gut feelings and caring.

The teen girl brain

• During puberty, a girl's primary purpose (from a biological standpoint) is to become sexually desirable and attractive.
• Girls speak two to three times more words per day than boys do and they also talk faster. Through talking the pleasure centers in a girl's brain is activated.

The mommy brain

• The brain shrinks during pregnancy—it does not lose cells but changes metabolism and restructures. Then in the final one to two weeks, the brain begins to increase in size again and construct maternal circuits. It does not return to its former size until about six months after giving birth.

The mature female brain

• The "mommy brain" unplugs.
• Menopause means the end of the hormones that have boosted communication circuits, emotion circuits, the drive to tend and care, and the urge to avoid conflict at all costs.
• More than 65 percent of divorces after the age of 50 are initiated by women. This attributed to something called "post-menopausal zest." Women during this stage wanted their turn, they want to go and do stuff that they're passionate about and step out in a more independent way—they don't want to be taking care of everybody else.

Sex and emotions

• Female sexual turn-on begins with a brain turn-off: Orgasms can only be triggered when the amygdala (the fear and anxiety center) is turned off. "It requires turning off the worrywart circuits in the female brain to have an orgasm.

• For women, foreplay is everything that happens in the 24 hours before intercourse. "She needs to feel comfortable and loving towards her partner and everything in the relationship is alright, thus reducing that amygdala's activation that something is dangerous or fearful.

• Women have evolved to cry four times more easily than men. "The silent treatment is not a way, women, to get his attention," Dr. Brizendine says. "Crying is a way to get his attention that something is wrong and upsetting you."