Anencephaly Awareness Month: Week 2

Thanks for checking in to week two of anencephaly awareness month. Last week I touched on a little background information. This week I'll be talking about the occurrence of anencephaly.

The CDC estimates that about 3 in every 10,000 pregnancies in the United States will be affected by anencephaly. Personally, I think that that number should actually be higher. I would be very interested to know what criteria was used to determine that number, as there are a large number of people who terminate their pregnancy after receiving a diagnosis of anencephaly, so those pregnancies might not be reported in these numbers. I think there are so many more people who are carrying their babies to term now than there has ever been in the past, so I wouldn't be surprised if that number actually rose if the CDC investigated that matter again. 

Anencephaly is more common in girls than boys. One study noted a 3:2 ratio of girls to boys affected with anencephaly. Personally, I have definitely seen this diagnosis more in females than males. Obviously with our daughter, Eric's cousin Kiley Jo, and then two guests I will have on my blog in the next two weeks both have daughters that have anencephaly. 

In most cases, anencephaly is an isolated occurrence and doesn't usually occur more than once in the same family. The rate of recurrence for a woman who has already had a child with anencephaly is about 4%.   

Next week, I will be touching on some causes/risk factors for anencephaly. I have been in touch with a researcher at Duke University conducting a study on neural tube defects, and have sent her a list of some questions I wanted her to address (though going through all of this information I can already think of so many more questions than what I've already sent her. Maybe next year I can include more questions!). I'm hoping to include that information in my blog post next Monday, but if she doesn't get back to me by then I will post the info as soon as I get it!

And just as a PSA, Monday the 15th is Anencephaly Awareness Day! I'll be wearing green to help spread awareness, and I'd love it if you would join me!

I'll be back Thursday with the story of Eva, so stay tuned!