Folic ;acid ( 5 mg) was given daily, for not less than one menstrual period before conception and until the tenth week of pregnancy, to 8 1 women (FS) with a history of a previous neural tube defect (NTD) birth. There was no NTD recurrence among this group or among the offspring of a further 20 women (PS) whose folic acid supplementation fell sh'ort of the full regime. In another I14 women who became pregnant without folic acid supplementation (IJS), there were four NTD recurrences (3.5 per cent). Our results suggest that folk acid supplementation might be an effective method of primary prevention of neural tube defects.
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