Spina bifida is a serious abnormality of the spinal cord, and the bones, muscles and skin covering it. Babies with spina bifida usually have an obvious abnormality on their back when they are born. Some will die soon after birth and most need a lot of treatment.
Spina bifida can cause permanently weak legs, no feeling in the legs and problems walking. Many people with spina bifida will need to use a wheelchair.
There can also be problems with bladder and bowel control.
Other neural tube defects affect the development of the brain as well as the spinal cord.
The problems occur when the spinal cord and brain are forming during the sixth week of pregnancy (four weeks after conception). This is often before a woman knows that she is pregnant.
There is no cure for spina bifida.
Any woman could have a baby with spina bifida or other neural tube defect.
About 1 in 1000 babies in South Australia is born with spina bifida and another 1 in 1000 babies has another type of neural tube defect.
The risk is higher if another family member has had spina bifida. You can have tests to check for neural tube defects during pregnancy.
Take folate for at least one month before getting pregnant and during the first three months has been shown to reduce the risk by up to 70%.
Most women in Australia have an ultrasound examination during early to mid pregnancy. Most babies with spina bifida will be found by that ultrasound.
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