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Each year in the U.S., 150,000 babies are born with birth defects. Several thousand types of birth defects have been identified, but the causes of 60-70% of them are unknown. Neural tube defects (NTDs) affect approximately 4,000 pregnancies. While some of these pregnancies end in miscarriage or stillbirth, 2,500 infants are born each year with spina bifida or anencephaly, serious NTDs that are irreversible.
The March of Dimes estimates that if all women took adequate folic acid before conception and during pregnancy, the number of babies born with NTDs could drop by a much as 70%. Here are answers to frequently asked questions about folic acid. What is folic acid? Folic acid is a naturally-occurring B vitamin that helps prevent birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, which are called neural tube defects (NTDs). When is it important to take folic acid? Folic acid is needed to support fetal and placental growth and to produce new DNA as cells multiply and divide. It is especially important in early pregnancy, when the vital organs are developing. Since over 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, the Institute of Medicine, the CDC and the March of Dimes recommend that ALL women of childbearing age take a multivitamin containing 400 micrograms of folic acid every day. Once a woman is pregnant, she may be advised to increase her folic acid intake to 600 micrograms per day in multivitamin form. For more information or questions about your pregnancy, contact the Paynesville Area Health Care System or your primary physician. Excerpts from article written by Barbara Hayes, BSN, MA - "Folic Acid - What a Difference a Pill Makes!"
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What can be done to help prevent these defects from occurring? In 1992, the U.S. Public Health Service recommended that "All women of childbearing age in the United States who are capable of becoming pregnant should consume 0.4 mg of folic acid per day for the purpose of reducing their risk of having a pregnancy affected with spina bifida or other NTDs." The key issue is that folic acid should be consumed BEFORE pregnancy occurs as well as in the first few months.