Guidance

Spina bifida: information for parents

Information for pregnant women whose baby may have spina bifida, including treatment options.

• From: NHS England
• Published: 18 February 2019
• Last updated: 3 February 2025 — See all updates

Applies to England

Documents

Spina bifida: information for parents

HTML

Details

This leaflet explains spina bifida, a condition screened for by the NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme.

Information in the leaflet includes:

• what spina bifida is, and how common it is
• how the condition is diagnosed and confirmed
• what treatment is available
• what the outlook for the baby is
• what happens next
• how likely it is to happen in future pregnancies

Published 18 February 2019
Last updated 3 February 2025 + show all updates

1. 3 February 2025

   Changed lead organisation to NHS England. Removed references to PHE.

2. 9 March 2020

   Replaced PDF with an updated HTML version.

3. 18 February 2019

   First published.