Treatment for spina bifida can begin even before the baby is born. There is ongoing research surrounding prenatal surgery as an effective treatment. Over 400 babies have undergone this experimental surgery to repair myelomeningocele before birth; “preliminary results suggest that children who have prenatal surgery have improvements in the Chiari malformation and may need a hydrocephalus shunt less frequently, but their bladder and bowel function do not appear to be improved.” The procedure also increases the risk of premature delivery of the baby (March of Dimes, 2009).