Informing family and  parents about baby having congenital malformation and or deformity is the most devastating news for  them. 

It is time to know how to get healthy before pregnancy to decrease the  chances of congenital malformation in a  baby. Taking Folic acid for 100 days before conception is an important part to prevent neural tube defects in fetus.

CDC urges all women of reproductive age consume 400 mcg of folic acid each day, in addition to consuming food with folate from a varied diet, to help prevent some major birth defects of the baby’s brain (known as neural tube defects). The two most common types of neural tube defects are anencephaly and spina bifida.

Anencephaly is a serious birth defect in which parts of a baby’s brain and skull do not form correctly. Babies born with anencephaly cannot survive. Spina bifida is a serious birth defect in which a baby’s spine does not develop correctly and can result in some severe physical disabilities. All women, but especially those who might become pregnant, need 400 mcg of folic acid every day.

Neural tube defects (like anencephaly and spina bifida) happen in the first few weeks of pregnancy; often before a woman finds out she’s pregnant. Also, almost half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended. These are two reasons why it is important for all women who could become pregnant to be sure to get 400 mcg of folic acid every day, even if they aren’t actively planning a pregnancy any time soon. By the time a woman realizes she’s pregnant, it might be too late to prevent these birth defects. Plan ahead! Starting today is the best option.

In the United States, 3,000 pregnancies are affected by neural tube defects every year (1).

Hispanic women have higher rates of neural tube defects than non-Hispanic women in the United States (2).

Worldwide, there are more than 300,000 babies born with neural tube defects each year (3).

The total lifetime direct cost of care for a child born with spina bifida in the United States is estimated to be $791,900 (4).

Increasing folic acid intake among women of childbearing age can help prevent 150,000-210,000 of the more than 300,000 neural tube defects that occur each year in low- and middle-resource countries. 

Further women of child bearing age should eat diet rich in folate. Folate can be found in foods like beans, peas, and lentils; oranges and orange juice; asparagus and broccoli; and dark leafy green vegetables such as spinach and mustard greens. However, it is very difficult for most women to get the recommended daily amount of folate through food alone.