1. Is spina bifida hereditary? If one of the parents has spina bifida, is the child at a higher risk of developing the disease? Spina bifida is a congenital abnormality caused by poor closure of the neural tube during embryonic development. It is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, and a parent with spina bifida increases the risk of the child developing the disease. 2. Is it possible to screen for fetal spina bifida through prenatal checkups such as ultrasound? There are two methods of prenatal screening for fetal spina bifida. One is laboratory biochemical screening, in which blood is drawn to check maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein, amniotic fluid AFP and amniotic fluid acetylcholinesterase. The second is prenatal ultrasound screening: it can detect open spina bifida as well as partially closed spina bifida, and the detection rate is affected by the examiner’s technique, fetal position, and amniotic fluid volume. Ultrasound is the main tool. 3.How long should I be pregnant before screening? How accurate is it? Ultrasound screening for fetal spine is usually performed at 18 ~ 22 weeks. The accuracy of ultrasound in diagnosing open spina bifida is 100%, but the accuracy of ultrasound in diagnosing closed spina bifida is lower than that of open spina bifida. 4. What should I do if fetal spina bifida is detected? Once open spina bifida is diagnosed by ultrasound, termination of pregnancy is recommended. With the development of intrauterine fetal treatment, open intrauterine fetal surgery has been performed for spina bifida malformations, but this is limited to developed countries and has not yet been performed in China. 5.How to prevent spina bifida before pregnancy? Is folic acid supplementation necessary for all pregnant women? Can folic acid supplementation prevent fetal spina bifida? Taking folic acid before pregnancy and in early pregnancy can effectively prevent the occurrence of fetal spina bifida. Folic acid supplementation is currently recommended for all pregnant women during early pregnancy if available, and also during pregnancy preparation. In addition to folic acid deficiency, maternal age, history of miscarriage, occupational hazards, influenza and husband’s smoking can all increase the risk of neural tube defects, so folic acid supplementation cannot completely prevent the occurrence of fetal spina bifida. 6.How to supplement folic acid specifically during preparation and pregnancy? During the first trimester and early pregnancy, i.e. before 13 weeks, the recommended supplemental dose is 0.4mg/d-0.8mg/d. 7. Can a pregnant woman who has had spina bifida deliver her child vaginally? Pregnant women with invisible spina bifida can deliver their babies vaginally if there are no birth canal abnormalities and other obstetric conditions.