All women, who are of childbearing age, should take folic acid supplements, even if they are not necessarily planning on getting pregnant.
The Scottish Spina Bifida Association have announced that 15 babies had been born in Scotland with Spina Bifida since January - double the usual number.
Research has suggested that Folic Acid supplements can help prevent many cases but the folic acid supplements are often taken too late. Up to 75% of cases could probably be prevented by the mother taking folic acid three months before conception, and during pregnancy.All Women Need Folic AcidThe advice is aimed at all sexually active women of childbearing age because of the high numbers of unplanned pregnancies.
Children born with spina bifida sometimes have brain damage and are often paralysed from the waist down. Spina Bifida sufferers usually have lifelong spinal cord, bowel and bladder problems.
Dr Margo Whiteford, consultant geneticist and chair of the Scottish Spina Bifida Association, said: "This year we've had as many contacts from families in the first half of the year as we'd expect to see for the full year. We don't know if this is down to folic acid but we do know that most women don't take enough folic acid at the right time.
"Ladies do know about folic acid preventing spina bifida but they wait until they've missed a period before they start taking it. The spinal cord develops within the first four weeks of pregnancy so by that stage it's too late - if the baby's going to have spina bifida it will already have developed it."
Scotland has the highest rate of children born with spina bifida in the UK because Scottish mothers are less likely to abort the foetus once the condition is diagnosed. Only 50% of affected pregnancies are terminated in Scotland, compared with 90% in the rest of the UK.
In 2007 the Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommended that folic acid should be added to bread or flour. That recommendation is currently under review following new research which suggested it could increase the risk of colorectal cancer.
The FSA said that anyone who is not about to become pregnant could get enough folic acid from a balanced diet.
However, the FSA adds that pregnant women should take 0.4mg of folic acid until the 12th week of pregnancy.
September 2009 | 
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