Hi all,
I thought I would share something I wished I would have known before I had my kids. There is a possibility Chiari can be hereditary. No one is sure of the cause, but there are families who have more than a few members with Chiari or associated problems (EDS, Marfans, spina bifida, etc). There are also some associated nutritional deficiencies with Chiari, EDS, hypermobility, possibly being caused by leaky gut syndrome, Crohn's, IBS, or gluten intolerance. Because of both the possibility of inheritance, and the probability you are not absorbing vitamins as well as most people do, I would suggest speaking to your doctor about a high quality folate supplement, and then blood testing to get your levels up before you get pregnant. Folate deficiency will definitely cause neural tube defects, which is why many processed foods now contain folic acid. Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, and has been linked to higher cancer rates, so it is best to supplement with folate, not Folic Acid. Here is a great article discussing the differences between folate and folic Acid:
http://chriskresser.com/folate-vs-folic-acid
And here's the kicker about WHY they can prove it's better to have a high quality Folate supplement. At the University of Utah they studied mice and folate deficiencies, and here are the results:
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/nutrition/
Even if you have a under-methylation problem, if you get your folate levels to normal or close to normal you have a much better chance of having a child that is not under-methylated.
I imagine scientists will find a way to fix this in the future, but it's nice to know there are steps you can take in the meantime to ensure healthier children. I did take vitamins while I was pregnant, but most prenatal and multi-vitamins have folic acid, and not folate. And not knowing that I had absorption problems, I didn't take as much as I should have.
Best wishes to you all,
Mandy