Cord blood banking is a choice for parents who want to preserve the blood of the umbilical cord and placenta of their baby to help with possible future medical needs of their child. It can also be used for other biologically matched children, either in their own family or the general public.
What is cord blood?
Cord blood, found in the umbilical cord and placenta, is rich in stem cells. These cells have the amazing potential to grow into many types of cells. Scientists believe that these cells can play a role in healing a variety of diseases, including cancer. The only time that you can put these cord stem cells into storage is right after birth. Stem cells are found in parts of the body, like the blood and bone marrow. But they are much more difficult to collect.
Why save cord blood?
Deciding to save cord blood is a personal decision. Many people do it because the cells in cord blood are a perfect match to that baby and could be used to help them survive a serious health threat, such as an immune system disorder or problem with metabolism. Some experts believe that the chance that any given child will need their own cord blood stem cells is about 1 in 2,700.
Stem cells can't be used to treat a genetic disease—a disease that your child is born with—because they carry the same genes that caused the disease. But the cells can be used to help treat a biological "match"—another youngster who has similar biological qualities and needs stem cells. This is the benefit of public banking.
How cord blood is collected
Cord blood collection is quick and painless. After the baby is delivered, your healthcare provider will close off the umbilical cord using a clamp. Then, using a needle, the healthcare provider will draw out the blood into a sterile bag. This will be sealed before the placenta is delivered. Sometimes the cord is simply tilted to let the blood drain into a bag. Between ½ and 1 cup of stem cell-rich cord blood can be collected. This must be done within 15 minutes of birth.
In some instances, it's not possible to get enough cord blood, like when a baby is premature or when twins shared a placenta. Certain infections may rule out cord blood collection as well.
Depending on the policies of your hospital and your health insurance, a collection fee may be involved. Check in advance to find out whether there are any charges you will have to cover.
Choices for storing cord blood
After collection, the blood is sent to the facility of your choice, where it will be processed and then frozen in storage. No one is certain how long cord blood lasts. Some experts believe it can be stored for 21 years or more.
You have two choices for storing cord blood: public storage or private storage. These storage spaces are referred to as "banks." The facility you choose should be accredited through the American Association of Blood Banks.
Storing cord blood in a public bank is free. But like a blood bank, the facility makes your stored cord blood available to other children who are biological matches.
Storing cord blood in a private bank means that the cord blood will be available to your family only. This type of storage requires both an initial fee and annual storage fees. The initial fee could be as high as $2,000, with annual storage fees of approximately $100. Make sure you understand all the fees involved in private storage. Also, find out what would happen if the bank were to go out of business.
FAQs
Cord blood collection is quick and painless. After the baby is delivered, your healthcare provider will close off the umbilical cord using a clamp. Then, using a needle, the healthcare provider will draw out the blood into a sterile bag. This will be sealed before the placenta is delivered.
Do doctors recommend cord blood banking? ›
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics don't recommend routine cord blood storage. The groups say private banks should be used only when there's a sibling with a medical condition who could benefit from the stem cells.
Why is cord blood banking controversial? ›
“The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend the routine storage of umbilical cord blood as 'biological insurance' against future disease given the lack of scientific data supporting its use and the current availability of public banks providing allogenic samples for transplant,” Slate says.
What are the health benefits for cord blood banking? ›
Cord Blood Banking
- Stem cells from cord blood can be given to more people than those from bone marrow. ...
- It is easier to collect cord blood than it is to collect bone marrow. ...
- Cord blood can be frozen and stored. ...
- Stem cells in cord blood can be used to strengthen the immune system during cancer treatments.
Some insurance providers will cover the cost of cord blood banking when collection is medically necessary. For example, depending on the provider, families with a history of leukemia or other blood disorders may be eligible for total or partial coverage of the costs of cord blood collection and storage.
Why banking on cord blood isn t necessarily a good idea? ›
Doctors do not recommend that you privately bank cord blood on the slight chance that your baby will have a disease that could be treated with stem cells.
What are the cons of cord blood? ›
Disadvantages of Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells
- Slow engraftment.
- Limited cell dose. — Small volume of unit. — Additional cell doses unavailable.
- Autologous donation may have limited benefit owing to hereditary disorders.
- Storage issues. — Unknown length of long-term storage. — Cost related to long-term storage. —
Myth: Cord blood treatments are experimental. Fact: Cord blood is an accepted source of blood stem cells for patients undergoing a blood transplant. As such, they are used in treating more than 80 blood cancers, inherited genetic diseases, bone marrow failure, and immune diseases.
Is it worth saving umbilical cord blood? ›
Cord blood contains cells called hematopoietic stem cells. These cells can turn into any kind of blood cell and can be used for transplants that can cure diseases such as blood disorders, immune deficiencies, metabolic diseases, and some kinds of cancers. Research is revealing more and more ways it can save lives.
What percentage of people do cord blood banking? ›
According to Cell Trials Data, a provider of data on clinical trials of advances cell therapy, cord blood banking rates are highest in the US, at 3% of births each year.
Do Hospitals Keep Placentas? Hospitals treat placentas as medical waste or biohazard material. The newborn placenta is placed in a biohazard bag for storage. Some hospitals keep the placenta for a period of time in case the need arises to send it to pathology for further analysis.
How many years should you bank cord blood? ›
After collection, the blood is sent to the facility of your choice, where it will be processed and then frozen in storage. No one is certain how long cord blood lasts. Some experts believe it can be stored for 21 years or more.
Is it better to donate or keep cord blood? ›
Typically the umbilical cord and placenta are discarded after your baby is born—unless you decide otherwise. You can choose to have your baby's cord blood collected and donated to a public cord blood bank, stored in a family (private) cord blood bank, or saved for a biological sibling who has a diagnosed medical need.
Is cord blood banking Ethical? ›
Nonetheless, collection and storage of cord blood raise ethical concerns with regard to patient safety, autonomy, and potential for conflict of interest. In addition, storage of umbilical cord blood in private as opposed to public banks can raise concerns about access to cord blood for transplantation.
Can you write off cord blood banking? ›
Cord blood banking may be tax deductible under certain circ*mstances. If your child or family member has a medical condition with an immediate need for an FDA approved treatment with cord blood, the cost of collection, processing, and storage may be tax deductible.
What do hospitals do with cord blood? ›
Umbilical cord blood contains blood-forming stem cells, which can renew themselves and differentiate into other types of cells. Stem cells are used in transplants for patients with cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. Cord Blood can be used to treat over 80 other life- threatening diseases.
Is umbilical cord blood worth it? ›
Umbilical cord blood is a very good source of stem cells, and these blood stem cells are useful in the treatment of many blood disorders and cancers. The placenta, umbilical cord and the blood within it are very important in pregnancy. However, the blood serves no purpose after delivery if discarded.
Is it ethical to have private cord blood banks? ›
Nonetheless, collection and storage of cord blood raise ethical concerns with regard to patient safety, autonomy, and potential for conflict of interest. In addition, storage of umbilical cord blood in private as opposed to public banks can raise concerns about access to cord blood for transplantation.
