Folic acid has been shown to dramatically decrease the incidence of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, in newborns. It has also been suggested that the B vitamin could reduce incidence of Down's syndrome, found in the same at-risk families as neural tube defects by a recent study.
For three decades, the US Public Health Service has recommended that all people capable of becoming pregnant consume 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid daily to prevent neural tube defects (NTDs). Folic acid is an important part of planning for a healthy pregnancy.
Current supplementation policies designed to prevent neural tube defects may incidentally prevent Down's syndrome, provided a sufficiently high dose of folic acid is used.
When the baby is developing early during pregnancy, folic acid helps form the neural tube. Folic acid is very important because it can help prevent some major birth defects of the baby's brain (anencephaly) and spine (spina bifida). The neural tube forms the early brain and spine.
Women who are 35 years or older when they become pregnant are more likely to have a pregnancy affected by Down syndrome than women who become pregnant at a younger age.3-5However, the majority of babies with Down syndrome are born to mothers less than 35 years old, because there are many more births among younger women ...
About 95 percent of the time, Down syndrome is caused by trisomy 21 — the person has three copies of chromosome 21, instead of the usual two copies, in all cells. This is caused by abnormal cell division during the development of the sperm cell or the egg cell.
Risk for chromosome problems
The chance of having a child with Down syndrome increases over time. The risk is about 1 in 1,250 for a woman who conceives at age 25. It increases to about 1 in 100 for a woman who conceives at age 40. The risks may be higher.
Down syndrome, which arises from a chromosome defect, is likely to have a direct link with the increase in stress levels seen in couples during the time of conception, say Surekha Ramachandran, founder of Down Syndrome Federation of India, who has been studying about the same ever since her daughter was diagnosed with ...
If you're at high risk for having a baby with an NTD, take 4,000 mcg of folic acid each day to help prevent an NTD. Start taking 4,000 mcg of folic acid 3 months before you get pregnant through 12 weeks of pregnancy.
People with Down syndrome may be deficient in vitamin B12 and may benefit from supplementation. The red blood cells of people with Down syndrome are unusual in ways that suggest either vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency.
Folic acid can reduce certain birth defects of the brain and spinal cord by more than 70 percent. These birth defects are called neural tube defects (NTDs). NTDs happen when the spinal cord fails to close properly. The most common neural tube defect is spina bifida.
An adequate intake of folic acid during pregnancy, believed to protect against neural tube defects (NTDs) in babies, may also help prevent Down's syndrome, researchers report in The Lancet this week.
But even though folic acid is important, taking too much could be problematic. Research is pointing to some possible negative effects of consuming too much folic acid, such as impaired fetal growth, increased risks of childhood diseases like asthma and autism, and promoting the growth of some cancer cells.
The bottom line:
Consuming much more folate or vitamin B12 than the guidelines may be harmful to a developing fetus, but more studies will be needed to bear that out.
It is well known that the extra chromosome 21 originates from the mother in more than 90% of cases, the incidence increases with maternal age and there is a high recurrence in young women.
Down syndrome occurs in people of all races and economic levels. The risk increases with the mother's age (1 in 1250 for a 25 year old mother to 1 in 1000 at age 31, 1 in 400 at age 35, and about 1 in 100 at age 40). However, 80% of babies with Down syndrome are born to women under age 35 years.
Down's syndrome occurs in 10 in every 10,000 births. Edwards' syndrome occurs in 3 in every 10,000 births. Patau's syndrome occurs in 2 in every 10,000 births. A screening test for these conditions, called the “combined test”, is available between 10 and 14 weeks of pregnancy.
As men age, their risk of fathering a child with Down syndrome may increase—the older the man, the more likely that the process of spermatogenesis, or sperm production will go awry, leading to sperm that contain errors like an extra chromosome.
In the majority of cases, the extra copy of chromosome 21 comes from the mother in the egg. In a small percentage (less than 5%) of cases, the extra copy of chromosome 21 comes from the father through the sperm.
How can I prevent Down syndrome? You can't prevent Down syndrome since it's a genetic condition. To learn more about your risk of having a child with a genetic condition, talk to your healthcare provider about genetic testing.
Who is most at risk for morning sickness? Anyone who is pregnant may experience morning sickness. A few circumstances may increase your risk, such as carrying multiple babies or a baby with trisomy 21 (Down syndrome).
Screening for Down syndrome can be performed as early as 11 to 14 weeks of pregnancy with a first trimester ultrasound and blood test. Screening can also be performed between 15 and 20 weeks by a blood test referred to as the multiple marker serum screening test.
An ultrasound can detect fluid at the back of a fetus's neck, which sometimes indicates Down syndrome. The ultrasound test is called measurement of nuchal translucency. During the first trimester, this combined method results in more effective or comparable detection rates than methods used during the second trimester.