Folic acid is water soluble B-vitamin that helps builds healthy cells. "Water soluble" means it does not stay in your body for very long, so you need to take it every day to help prevent neural tube defects. During periods of rapid growth, such as pregnancy and fetal development, the body's requirement for this vitamin increases.

A diet rich in folate is important, however the average American diet does not supply enough folic acid. Doctors advise the 60 million women of childbearing age not to depend on food alone for folic acid. Doctors urge women to follow the 1992 U.S. Public Health Service folic acid recommendations:

“Women who could become pregnant should take 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid through a vitamin. (This amount is written as 0.4 milligrams (mg).) Women at increased risk for spina bifida should take 4000 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid by prescription for 1 to 3 months before becoming pregnant (This amount is also written as 4.0 milligrams (mg))” (Green, 2002, p. s2359).

Many things can affect a baby, including family genes and things women may meet during pregnancy. Taking folic acid cannot guarantee having a healthy baby, but it can help.

Since NTD’s occur early in pregnancy, often before a woman knows she is pregnant, it is important to take folic acid every day. Taking folic acid before and during early pregnancy reduces the risk of spina bifida and other neural tube defects (Desposito, 1999).

Randomized control trials and observational studies have shown that if all women who could become pregnant were to take a multivitamin with the B-vitamin folic acid, the risk of neural tube defects could be reduced by up to 75%. For women at higher risk for spina bifida or other neural tube defects, an increased level of folic acid is recommended by prescription. Research has shown that 4000 micrograms of folic acid reduces the risk of neural tube defects for these women (Desposito, 1999).