Neural tube defects are a category of congenital birth defects affecting the brain and spinal cord, the most common being spina bifida and anencephaly.
Neural tube defects can be severely disabling or even fatal for a developing baby. There is a large body of research showing that moms with adequate intake of folic acid before pregnancy have a 50% to 70% lower risk of having a baby with neural tube defects.
Folic acid remains an important nutrient for optimal cell division and growth, making the reasons to take it during pregnancy all the more obvious. In addition, there has been some evidence that folic acid might reduce the risk of other birth defects as well, and that moms with low folic acid might also have a higher risk of miscarriage, placental abruption, and preterm delivery.
however some reports claim that excess folic acid supplementation might be associated with a slightly increased risk of wheezing and other respiratory problems in the baby.
What Anencephaly Means:
In anencephaly, crucial parts of the baby's brain and skull fail to form. Without these brain areas, the baby can never gain consciousness or carry out the physical functions of life. Because the skull is also affected by the disorder, a baby with anencephaly is usually physically deformed and parts of the brain may be exposed. Babies affected by anencephaly frequently are stillborn or die at birth. Even if born alive, babies with anenecephaly always die within a few days of birth. There is no treatment that can change the prognosis.
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