Healthful diets with adequate folic acid intake may reduce a woman’s risk of having a child with a brain or spinal birth defect. The risk of neural tube defects is significantly reduced when folic acid is consumed in addition to a healthy diet prior to and during the first month following conception.

Women who could become pregnant are advised to eat foods fortified with folic acid or take supplements in addition to eating folate-rich foods to reduce the risk of some serious birth defects. Taking 400 micrograms of synthetic folic acid daily from fortified foods and/or supplements has been suggested.

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for folate equivalents for pregnant women is 600 micrograms per day.