Resource Center: genetics, pregnant

The American Academy of Pediatrics endorses the US Public Health Service (USPHS) recommendation that all women capable of becoming pregnant consume 400 mg of folic acid daily to prevent neural tube defects (NTDs). Studies have demonstrated that periconceptional folic acid supplementation can prevent 50% or more of NTDs such as spina bifida and anencephaly. For women who have previously had an NTD-affected pregnancy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends increasing the intake of folic acid to 4000 mg per day beginning at least 1 month before conception and continuing through the first trimester. Implementation of these recommendations is essential for the primary prevention of these serious and disabling birth defects. Because fewer than 1 in 3 women consume the amount of folic acid recommended by the USPHS, the Academy notes that the prevention of NTDs depends on an urgent and effective campaign to close this prevention gap. (From Their Website)

Statement on folic acid: fortification and supplementation

Maternal serum screening has been modified during the past 25 years and is now widely utilized during the second trimester to identify women at risk for fetal open neural tube defects (ONTDs), anencephaly, and trisomies 21 and 18. This statement replaces the 1994 and 1996 ACMG position statements on serum screening and discusses clinical guidelines for screening that complement the sections of ACMG’s Standards and Guidelines for Clinical Genetics Laboratories entitled “Prenatal Screening for Open Neural Tube Defects” and “Prenatal Screening for Down Syndrome” (http://www.acmg.net). (From Their Website)

Ms. Shields speaks on the subject of genetic counseling in pregnant women.