Taking the B-vitamin folic acid can help prevent NTDs. It’s important to have enough folic acid in your system before pregnancy and during early pregnancy, before the neural tube closes.
The March of Dimes recommends that all women of childbearing age take a multivitamin with at least 400 micrograms of folic acid every day before pregnancy and during early pregnancy. You can take up to 1,000 micrograms each day. But don’t take more than 1,000 micrograms unless you talk to your provider first.
You need folic acid when you’re pregnant, too. During pregnancy, take a prenatal vitamin that has at least 600 micrograms of folic acid in it every day.
If you’ve already had a pregnancy affected by an NTD, you need even more folic acid. Take at least 4,000 micrograms of folic acid each day, starting at least 1 month before pregnancy and during the first trimester of pregnancy. Studies show that taking this amount before and during early pregnancy can help reduce your risk of having another baby with an NTD by about 70 percent. Women with spina bifida, diabetes or seizure disorders also need this much folic acid every day. Talk to your provider about how to get this much folic acid.