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How can I avoid the risk of having a child with autism?
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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Autism is a serious neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 1 in 110 children in the United States alone. Without knowing the causes of autism, parents may worry about giving birth to an autistic baby. But a new study recently conducted in the United States may give new hope to parents to conceive and give birth to a child without disabilities. This could help change the situation with the birth of children with autism.
[ The essence of the study
According to a study recently published in a scientific journal on epidemiology in the United States, it is quite easy to reduce the risk of having an autistic baby. All a mother needs to do is take vitamins for 3 months before pregnancy during the first month of pregnancy. This can significantly reduce the risk of autism in future children, especially in those genetically predisposed to this disease.
Participants in the study included 288 children aged 24 to 60 months who showed no signs of autism, 144 children with autism spectrum disorders, and 278 children with typical development. The researchers determined whether their mothers consumed vitamins and/or other supplements during the period spanning 3 months before conception and throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding. Using this data, the researchers used statistical analysis to calculate the incidence of associations between autism and maternal vitamin supplement use.
Research results
According to the results, mothers of children with autism took vitamins during the period of conception much less often than mothers of typically developing children. The period of conception is defined as 3 months before pregnancy and during the first month of pregnancy. Such a mother's diet during pregnancy and before it especially strongly affected children with a genetic predisposition to autism, since the combination of genetic predisposition and maternal vitamin intake at the time of conception was associated with a significantly higher risk of having children with autism than any other factor.
Interestingly, the association between prenatal vitamin intake and a lower risk of autism only applies to the period of conception. The birth of children with autism is not affected by maternal vitamin intake during the period from the second to the ninth month of pregnancy.
Explanations of scientists
Prenatal vitamins contain more iron, folate, vitamins B6 and B12 than regular multivitamins, so researchers have suggested that these nutrients may be necessary to reduce the risk of autism. Iron, folate and other B vitamins are essential for the nervous system of both mother and baby, so autism (a nervous disorder) in children is caused by a lack of these vitamins.
Of course, more research is needed to confirm this theory, but these new findings help shed light on some of the complex factors associated with autism. Perhaps most importantly, the findings also empower parents to plan their pregnancies wisely, taking specific steps to protect against potential autism.
Choose your vitamins carefully
Based on these research findings, doctors recommend that women who are planning to become pregnant take prenatal supplements several months before conception. It is also important to know that not all prenatal vitamins provide the same quality or that their dosages may be the same.
To ensure that the mother's body receives the important nutrients contained in vitamins, it is advisable to choose not tablets and capsules, but effervescent drinks with high-quality vitamins. Or natural vitamin drinks with rose hips, or fresh juices.
Numerous scientific studies have shown that effervescent vitamin supplements are absorbed faster and better than tablets, not to mention how much more enjoyable it is to sip a tasty fizzy drink rather than swallow a pill. These drinks contain a potent group of micronutrients, including all the nutrients listed in the study, all in highly absorbable forms.
It is highly probable to prevent the birth of children with physical abnormalities, in particular, autistic children. It is only necessary to correctly calculate the diet of the expectant mother.