When surveyed three and six months postpartum, fathers who showed larger prenatal declines reported contributing more to both household chores and infant care, which their partners confirmed when asked separately. “Hormonal changes seem to come first, which then predicts greater investment [in postpartum care],” says Edelstein.
That’s why hormonal shifts may account for some Couvade symptoms, says Edelstein. Lower levels of both testosterone and oestradiol, for instance, are associated with weight gain in men, while the latter has been linked to depression. What triggers these changes in the first place, however, remains unknown.
This aligns with numerous neurological studies demonstrating that parents’ brains change after the birth of a child. A 2024 study, for instance, found that the volume of grey matter shrinks in…