The causes of anencephaly are several, but the most common is the lack of folic acid before and during the first months of pregnancy, although genetic and environmental factors may also be responsible for this significant alteration of the central nervous system.
Some less common causes of anencephaly include:
- Research shows that white women with type 1 diabetes are 7 times more likely to generate an anencephalic fetus.
Anencephaly is the lack of brain or part of it in the baby, it is a major genetic alteration that occurs during the first month of pregnancy, with an inability to close the neural tube that results in important structures of the central nervous system, such as the brain, meninges and cap, so the fetus does not develop them.
The anencephalic baby dies shortly after birth or a few hours later, and if parents wish, they can choose to have an abortion, if they have authorization from the Supreme Court of Justice, because abortion in cases of anencephaly is not yet allowed in Brazil.
The use of folic acid during pregnancy is of paramount importance in preventing anencephaly, as this change occurs during the first month of pregnancy, when most women do not yet know they are pregnant, this supplementation should begin from the moment the woman stops using contraception. , at least 3 months before becoming pregnant.