Low folate level

Folic acid deficiency can cause severe birth defects of the brain and spinal cord known as neural tube defects. In some cases, there may be no noticeable signs of folic acid deficiency, and it is diagnosed in pregnant women only after a child is born with a neural tube defect. Usually, though, your health care provider can detect the defect with blood work and ultrasound during your prenatal checkups. When women take the recommended amount of folic acid before they conceive and through the first trimester of pregnancy, 50% to 70% of neural tube defects are prevented. Yet recent research by March of Dimes shows that many women are unaware of the importance of folic acid.