is spina bifida hereditary?
If a woman has already had a child with spina bifida, the chance of having another affected child is 1 in 20. The chances are also increased if a womanâs close blood relative has had a child with spina bifida. A woman who has spina bifida is also at higher risk of having a spina bifida child. It seems that only 5% of the cases involve direct hereditary effects, however. So a woman who has spina bifida has about a 1 â 5% chance of having a spina bifida child and that increases to 15% if both parents have spina bifida.