The importance of Folic Acid during pregnancy I personally believe, the best gift any woman, who is trying to conceive, can receive is advice on the importance of vitamin B9 or folate. Sufficient quantities of this vitamin would ensure that fetuses do not develop abnormalities leading to a healthy pregnancy and subsequently a normal child. Sometimes it is the case that due to the lack of this vitamin, fetuses develop abnormalities most common being Neural Tube Defects (NTD). What is the Neural Tube? Before we speak about the defects, it is important to understand the structure of the neural tube. The neural tube is the part of the embryo from which the baby’s spine and brain develop. The neural tube develops fully by 12 weeks of pregnancy. Some birth defects occur within the first 3-4 weeks of pregnancy. Since expectant mothers typically realize that they are pregnant only after 6-8 weeks after conception, proactive intake of folic acid is recommended. What could go wr...