If a woman has enough folic acid in her body before and during pregnancy, it can help prevent major birth defects of the baby's brain and spine (anencephaly and spina bifida) by 50% to 70%.
Two easy ways to get enough folic acid each day are:
- 1. Everyday take a multivitamin that contains 400 micrograms (400 mcg) of folic acid. Or you can take a small pill (supplement) that has only folic acid in it each day.
OR - 2. Eat a bowl of breakfast cereal that has 100% of the daily value of folic acid every day. Not every cereal has this amount. Check the label on the side of the box, and look for one that has "100%" next to folic acid.
Spina Bifida
Pronounced spy·nuh bif-i-duh
Spina bifida is the most common birth defect in the United States. It is a type of neural tube defect (NTD). The neural tube is a narrow channel that folds and closes during the third and fourth weeks of pregnancy to form the brain and spinal cord. Spina bifida happens if the portion of the neural tube that forms the spinal cord does not close completely during the first month of pregnancy.