The answer to this question is, some researchers are of the opinion that Spina Bifida may be caused by certain genetic and environmental factors. Changes in the genes of the child as well as the mother at the time of pregnancy increase the chances of the child having Spina Bifida. Coming to inheritance, there are very few cases in which a child with Spina Bifida has a first degree relative with the same condition and there has been no clear pattern of inheritance in such cases.