The need for education on the prevention of birth defects is greater than most people realize.

About 1 in every 33 babies born in the United States each year has a birth defect, according to the CDC. Neural tube defects (NTDs), which are serious birth defects of the brain and spine, affect an estimated 3,000 pregnancies in the U.S. each year.

The good news is that some of these birth defects can be prevented. Since the U.S. began requiring folic acid in enriched grain products in 1998, NTD rates have dropped by 28%, and about 1,300 babies a year are born without an NTD who otherwise would have had one, according to the CDC.

There are many causes of birth defects, and unfortunately, the cause is hard to determine most of the time. Fortunately, there are things you can do to lower the risk of some birth defects.

The risk of neural tube defects like spina bifida and anencephaly can be lowered by taking folic acid before and during early pregnancy. Folic acid may also help lower the risk of some other birth defects, such as certain heart defects, though that research is less certain.

The CDC recommends that anyone who could become pregnant get 400 mcg of folic acid every day to help reduce the risk of NTDs. You should begin taking the supplement at least one month before getting pregnant to gain the full effect of the B-9 vitamin. Because about half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned, we suggest all women of childbearing age begin taking folic acid now.

Do your part to help reduce the rate of birth defects by adding folic acid to your daily regimen. For more tips on lowering the risk of birth defects, visit the CDC’s website.

Why awareness still matters

Fortified foods help, but they aren’t enough on their own for many women. A CDC study found that about half of U.S. women report enriched cereal grain products as their only source of folic acid. Getting 400 mcg from a daily vitamin, fortified foods, or both is the surest way to have enough folate in your body before a pregnancy begins.

That’s why every January, during National Birth Defects Prevention Month and Folic Acid Awareness Week, health organizations remind women about the importance of folic acid. NTDs develop in the first few weeks of pregnancy, often before a woman knows she is pregnant, so the habit has to start before pregnancy.

Updated October 2026. This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from your health care provider.

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