Women are not preventing birth defects

By Susan Milius

Washington (UPI): Although the U.S. Public Health Service nearly two years ago recommended folic acid for women to dramatically reduce birth defects of the spinal column and brain, only 10 percent to 15 percent of women even know about the recommendations, federal health officials said early this week.

The guideline recommends adding 0.4 milligrams to a mother's diet before conception and early in pregnancy.

How to encourage women to consume more folic acid was the subject of a meeting convened in Alexandria, Virginia, by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday and Tuesday. The meeting follows a March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation survey of 2,010 women released earlier this month which showed that most women do know some ways of reducing the risks of birth defects, but few know the importance of folic acid.

Seventy-three percent of the women said they knew they should avoid drinking alcohol during pregnancy, and 63 percent said they should not smoke.

When researchers asked the women why doctors recommend folic acid during pregnancy -- a way to prevent neural tube defects -- 90 percent said they do not know.

Women could reduce birth defects of the spinal column and brain by 50 to 70 percent if only they would take the recommended amount of folic acid before they get pregnant, the officials said.

Starting as early as 15 days after conception, often before a woman realizes she is pregnant, lack of folic acid can botch the process of forming the basic neural tube, causing babies born with parts of their brains missing, called anencephaly, or flaws in their spinal columns, spinal bifida.

"These are big-league birth defects," said the CDC's Dr. Godfrey Oakley.

Oakley himself has started giving a year's supply of folic acid supplements as a bridal shower present.

One of these neural tube disorders strikes about 12 pregnancies a day in the United States, according to CDC reports.

"We could prevent 6, maybe 9, of those babies from having defects," said Oakley, "but the message just hasn't caught on." Women can get folic acid by taking dietary supplements, "the easiest and most effective way to get enough folic acid," the CDC said.

Manufacturers have fortified certain breakfast cereals with folic acid. Dark green vegetables, citrus fruits, dried peas and lentils and organ meats also help meet dietary recommendations.