A major national campaign is launched today in the UK to encourage young women to take folic acid supplements in case they become pregnant.
The vitamin helps prevent conditions such as spina bifida affecting babies – but needs to be taken in the early stages of pregnancy.
The new GoFolic! campaign wants women to take the vitamin for three months daily before becoming pregnant.
Former England footballer Danny Mills lost a baby son to a neural tube defect and will be backing the campaign to be launched in the House of Commons today – along with public health minister Anne Milton.
About 900 babies a year in Britain develop a neural tube defect such as spina bifida.
Experts say as many as 72 per cent could be prevented by folic acid – but barely one in 20 women take the vitamin correctly.
Jackie Bland, of the Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, said: "Neural tube defects are a serious health threat which can lead to enormous challenges and painful decisions.
"The most serious form, anencephaly, means that the baby will not live beyond birth, and many babies born with spina bifida face a life with serious, multiple disabilities.
"We can drastically reduce the incidence of neural tube defects if we can get women to take folic acid correctly."
She added: "We need a concerted effort from everyone – not just health professionals – to get this message across to women: If you are sexually active and might become pregnant, take a folic acid tablet every day."
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