What's the most common reason why American women of childbearing age fail to take a daily B vitamin (folate or folic acid) that can prevent spina bifida and other birth defects in their future babies? They simply forget, according to a survey by the March of Dimes.
"It appears that many women are still in denial about their need for folic acid," said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, March of Dimes president. "About 50 percent of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, so it's important for every woman capable of having a baby to take a multivitamin with folic acid daily, even if she's not thinking of having a baby. While rates of spina bifida and other neural tube defects have been decreasing, the rate can drop lower still with daily folic acid intake."
The survey was conducted for the March of Dimes by The Gallup Organization under a grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Low Percentages
Only 40 percent of women in the United States between the ages of 18 and 45 take a multivitamin containing folic acid on a daily basis. Daily consumption of the vitamin beginning before pregnancy is crucial because serious birth defects of the brain and spine – known as neural tube defects – occur in the early weeks following conception, often before a woman knows she is pregnant. |
