Prevention of Birth Defects by Taking Folic Acid

Contributed by: Adrienne Hatcher, Pharm.D. Candidate

UMKC School of Pharmacy

Text Box: A birth defect is an abnormality of structure, function or metabolism (body chemistry) present at birth that results in physical or mental disability, and sometimes even death. Currently there are about 150,000 babies born each year with birth defects some of which can be prevented. Birth defects are currently the leading cause of death in the first year of life, and 3-4% of all live births are affected by a birth defect. The causes of most birth defects are unknown; however, there are a number of steps a woman can take to reduce her risk of having a baby with a birth defect. The most important thing a fertile woman of childbearing age needs to do is visit a health care provider on a yearly basis to establish a relationship. This will allow the provider to recommend and monitor the woman’s health regularly. Also the provider will be able to collect valuable information about a woman or couple’s family history, which may help identify risk factors for birth defects or inherited genetic conditions when it is time to start planning for a baby.

Text Box: Another important fact is that all women of childbearing age need to take a multivitamin containing 400 mcg of folic acid (even before pregnancy). This is a B vitamin that has been proven to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs) if taken before and during the first few weeks of pregnancy. Neural tube defects occur when the embryonic neural tube (which forms the brain and the spinal cord of the baby) fails to completely close during development leading to malformations of the brain and spine, leading to spina bifida or anencephaly. When the baby is born with spina bifida there is an open spine and the baby may or may not live depending on the severity of the defect. However, if anencephaly is the defect the brain and skull are severely underdeveloped and the baby will die before or shortly after birth. Folic acid does not only reduce the incidence of NTDs, but it also is associated with fewer orofacial clefts, cardiac, and limb defects if taken before conception. Folic acid can be found in fortified foods or in vitamin supplements. It has

Text Box: been proven that folic acid is more readily absorbed from the supplements than it is from foods. It has been estimated that only about 50% of the food folate is absorbed, where 100% of the supplement is absorbed. This is a very big difference, making it all the more important to take a multivitamin and not rely on diet alone to get the nutrients the body needs. In summary, the two most important things to do for yourself and for your future family are to establish a relationship with a trusted health care provider and to take a multivitamin with folic acid. If both of these are done the chance of having a healthy baby when the time is right is increased dramatically. For more information go to www.marchofdimes.com. If you have further questions please ask your local pharmacist or current health care provider.

Text Box: 13600 S. Blackbob Olathe, KS 66062 (913) 782-2039 6900 W. 135th Street Overland Park, KS 66223 (913) 814 WELL (9355) 6475 N. Prospect Gladstone, MO 64119 (816) 453-0503

Text Box: 8120 Parallel Parkway Kansas City, KS 66109 (913) 334-1660 6238 N. Chatham Road Kansas City, MO 64151 (816) 746-1475 1015 N.E. Rice Road Lee’s Summit, MO 64086 (816) 525-1479

Text Box: Merriam Town Center 5800 Antioch Rd. Merriam, KS 66202 (913) 831-4140 Sprint Campus 6450 Sprint Parkway Overland Park, KS 66251 (913) 315-8646