Prevention of Neural-Tube Defects with Folic Acid in China

A woman's risk of having a fetus or infant with a neural-tube defect can be reduced by the consumption of a multivitamin containing folic acid during the periconceptional period — before and during the first 28 days after conception. Neural-tube formation is completed during these 28 days, before most women begin taking prenatal vitamins. In 1980, the results of a nonrandomized trial revealed that taking multivitamins during the periconceptional period reduced the risk of having a fetus or infant with a neural-tube defect. 1 Since then, observational studies demonstrated a reduced risk among women who took multivitamin supplements containing folic acid . . .