Otherwise, children are often a height similar to, or in-between their parents, or simply closer to the population average. During pregnancy, the human brain and spine begin as a flat plate of cells, which rolls into a tube , called the neural tube. Anencephaly occurs when the neural tube fails to close at the base of the skull, whereas spina bifida occurs when the neural tube fails to close somewhere along the spine. Babies with anencephaly are stillborn or usually live for only a few days after delivery. In most cases, one or more surgeries after birth may be necessary.
Some centers offer fetal surgery to attempt to close the defect prior to delivery.
Once the diagnosis of an ONTD is made during a pregnancy, a medical center who specializes in the treatment and repair of ONTDs may be sought. ONTDs happen to couples without a prior family history of these defects in over 90 percent of cases. ONTDs result from a combination of genes inherited from both parents, coupled with environmental factors. Some of the environmental factors include uncontrolled diabetes in the mother, and use of certain medications that are available by prescription only. ONTDs are seen five times more often in females than males.