Since NTDs originate in the first month of pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant, it is important for a woman to have enough folic acid in her system before pregnancy. The Arkansas Folic Acid Coalition recommends folic acid for all women of childbearing age because 50 percent of pregnancies in this country are unplanned.

Why should women of childbearing age take folic acid?

Studies show that women who consume the recommended amount of this vitamin, beginning before conception and continuing into the first month of pregnancy, reduce their risk of having a baby with neural tube defects.

The neural tube is the embryonic structure that develops into the brain and spinal cord. This structure, which starts out as a flat pancake of cells, normally folds into a tube by the 29th day after conception. When the neural tube does not close completely, the baby has a neural tube defect. About 4,000 babies are born with NTDs each year, and many other affected pregnancies end in miscarriage or stillbirth.

The most common NTDs are spina bifida and anencephaly. Spina bifida is a leading cause of childhood paralysis. Affected children have varying degrees of lower-body paralysis and bladder and bowel control problems. Anencephaly is a fatal condition in which a baby is born with a severely underdeveloped brain and skull.

Studies also suggest that folic acid may help prevent some other birth defects as well, including cleft lip and palate.