What is the chance of having another child with a neural tube defect?

8x greater risk: It has been shown that having a child with a neural tube defect increases the chance of having a second child with a similar defect. The recurrence risk in this situation is 8 times greater than the risk if no such history was present. Also if there is any family history of neural tube defects there is an increased risk of an affected pregnancy even if not immediate relative (2cd or 3d degree).