Pregnancies of mothers with a neural tube defect child: outcomes and recurrence risks.

Ninety-four mothers who had been in contact with the Center for Human Genetics of the University of Leuven (Belgium) after the birth of a child with neural tube defect were questioned about the outcomes of their pregnancies. To this end a structured interview and a mailed questionnaire were used. The recurrence rate for neural tube defects after the birth of one affected child was 2.9%. This number is at the lower border of the risk rates (between 3% and 5%) generally given to parents during genetic counseling sessions. The relative amount of miscarriages was larger in the interviewed group than in the Belgian population in general.