Why is it important for women to have adequate stores of folate during the childbearing years?

The storage is needed for   Red blood cell productions, and development of the foetus neural tube into the spinal cord and brain.

Explanation:

Its synthetic form is a  B vitamin called FOLIC ACID. This is  rich in fortified cereals. Folate is found in dark green vegetable and citrus naturally.

Basically. birth defects, occurs 3-4 weeks of pregnancy. Therefore, enough folate should be taken prior to this period and during pregnancy when the brain and spinal cord are developing to avoid birth defect.

The common defects from folate deficiency is NEURAL TUBE DEFECT. It is a deformity  caused by lack of neurulation during stages of formation of embryo. Because folate is essential for development of central nervous system its   deficiency affected the normal transformation of neural plate into neural tube (neurulation )in stages of brain and spinal cord developments, and therefore the defect.

The standard recommended dose of folate for childbearing age women is 400mcg (microgram)