How to Help Prevent Spina Bifida

Scott Price: Hello! I am Scott Price, President of the Spina Bifida Foundation. I serve as a National Advocate for Spina Bifida related issues and I am also the proud father of an adult son, living with Spina Bifida.
The cause of spina bifida is still unknown and therefore, every one of the 65 million women of child-bearing age in our country is at risk for an affected pregnancy. Research has shown that daily intake of 400 micrograms of folic acid which is the synthetic form of folic can reduce the risk of having a pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect like spina bifida, by up to 70%, because nearly half of the pregnancies in this country are unplanned and because spina bifida occurs within the first 28 days after conception, often before a woman is even aware that she is pregnant.
The Spina Bifida Association urges all women of child-barring age to take a daily multivitamin containing folic acid. And women who've had an affected pregnancy or who have incidence of spina bifida in their family are encouraged to take 4000 micrograms of folic acid for one to three months before and during the first three months of pregnancy.
In our next segment, we'll consider some of the latest advances in spina bifida research.


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