Saturday, May 16, 2015

Anencephaly

The incidence of pregnancies with a neural tube defect is about 1/1000 (and anencephaly specifically is 3/10,000). But once you've had one, your risk of having another is about 1 in 20.

Some studies have suggested that SUPER high doses of folic acid (4mg, ten times the recommended amount for a normal pregnant woman) one month before conception through the first trimester can further reduce the risk for this high-risk population:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1677062
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00019479.htm
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/01/28/high-doses-folic-acid-dont-raise-cancer-risk-study-finds/

There does not appear to be a risk of cancer (a concern because folic acid helps new cells grow) but high doses of folic acid can mask B12 deficiencies. Overall it sounds like for people who have had a baby with anencephaly, the benefit far outweighs the risk. 

What about for us? We have four frozen embryos made from the same cycle. Are they already doomed?

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