Will it happen again?

What is the likelihood of having an anencephaly pregnancy again?

Once you’ve had a pregnancy affected by anencephaly, there is a 1 in 50 chance of it happening again. Your genes may affect your chances, and small changes to DNA may increase the risk of having another baby with an NTD, so do ask to see a geneticist if you would like to find out if this was the case for your family.

Is there anything I can do to reduce the chances of it happening again?

When you are ready, contact Shine’s Health Team. We can guide you through getting ready for a further pregnancy, and help you identify any changes you can make which might help lower the chance of anencephaly happening again.

We hope that this information has helped you feel better placed to make the right choices for you and your family at this difficult time. The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone.