All women who could become pregnant should eat a healthy, folate-rich diet and take a daily vitamin supplement containing 0.4 mg of folic acid. Primary prevention refers to measures taken to reduce incidence, i.e., to reduce the number of pregnancies in which the fetus has a defect of the neural tube. The recommendations rising from the workshop are based on current information and expertise and are therefore interim. They will need to be re-examined as new developments occur.
All pregnancies are at risk for birth defects.
They may lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, death in early childhood or lifelong disability. NTDs present physical, emotional, psychological, social and financial challenges for the children affected, their families and society. There is variation in the degree of risk for an NTD-affected pregnancy depending on factors such as geographic location, ethnic background, diet, maternal health and family history. It should be noted that increasing folic acid intake will not eliminate all NTDs. Implementation of this recommendation presents a challenge, since many pregnancies are unplanned.