Cord blood FAQs (2024)

When a patient needs a transplant, their doctor will determine the source of cells that best meets their needs. Cord blood is one of three sources of blood-forming cells used in transplant. The others are bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC).

No, umbilical cord blood cells are taken from the baby’s umbilical cord and placenta after the baby is born, and not from an embryo.

Cord blood can be used to treat over 75 diseases including blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma and disorders of the blood and immune system—such as sickle cell disease and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.

In 1988 the first cord blood transplant was performed at L’Hospital St. Louis in France, using matched sibling cord blood to treat a 5-year-old child with Fanconi anemia. The donor was his newborn sister. The patient is alive and well today.

There is no cost to donate to a public cord blood bank. Public cord blood banks cover the costs of collecting, processing and storing cord blood units. If you decide to use a family cord blood bank, you will be charged a fee for collection as well as annual storage fees.

Yes! Check out the Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood to learn more.

Public banking
When you donate your baby’s umbilical cord for public use:

• It’s available to any patient in need of a transplant; it is not reserved for your family members.
• There is no cost to you because public cord blood banks cover the fees associated with processing, testing and storing donated cord blood.
• It’s collected under strict quality standards to make sure the cord blood unit is usable for transplant. If standards aren’t met, the cord blood unit may be used for research to improve the transplant process for future patients, or the unit will be discarded.

Private storage
If you store the cord blood in a family (private) cord blood bank, it is reserved for your own family members. Family cord blood banks are available throughout the country for anyone. You are charged a fee for the collection and an annual fee to store the umbilical cord blood.

Donating cord blood for public use or storing it for your family’s private use is a personal decision. 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.

If your family has a child with a life-threatening disease that may be treated with a cord blood transplant, you can choose to save your baby's umbilical cord blood for a biological sibling. The saved cord blood will be stored in a public cord blood bank.

A few things to keep in mind when considering sibling cord blood donation:

• The cord blood bank determines your final eligibility for sibling-directed donation programs.
• Some cord blood banks may charge your insurance company for this service. Others may offer this service at little or no cost.
• A fee will be charged to your insurance company when the cord blood that you stored is used for your other child's transplant.
• Siblings should have the same biological parents.
• If your family is eligible, the cord blood bank will provide a cord blood collection kit to take to the delivery hospital. The kit will come with instructions about sending the collected cord blood to the cord blood bank for processing and storage.

Below are two cord blood banks that will collect and store umbilical cord blood for eligible families within the United States. Doctors and families can contact these cord blood banks for more information. Cord blood banks should be contacted as early as possible in your pregnancy.

Carolinas Cord Blood Bank
Duke University Medical Center
Durham, NC
(919) 668-1116

StemCyte Inc.
(626) 646-2500
(866) 389-4659

Only those cord blood units that meet specific quality standards are processed, frozen and stored until needed by a patient. The specific quality standards the cord blood unit needs to meet are:

• Cord blood must contain enough blood-forming cells for a transplant. If there are too few cells, the cord blood unit cannot be listed on the registry, but may be used in research related to the use of cord blood in transplants.
• Your (the mother’s) health must meet basic guidelines.
• Cord blood unit and the mother’s blood sample must be free from infection or other medical concerns.
• If your cord blood unit meets all the standards, once frozen, they are listed on the NMDP Registry and accessible to the transplant center doctors who are searching for a match for their patient.

This depends on several factors. If your baby’s cord blood is stored privately and someone in your family needed a transplant, your doctor would consider:

• The disease. For some diseases, the patient’s own cells can be used for transplant. However, many diseases treated with transplant may already be present in the baby’s cord blood. For these diseases, a transplant using cells donated from a relative or unrelated donor is the best choice.
• The match between the cord blood unit and the patient. There is a 30% chance that siblings will match each other. (Learn more about HLA matching). The doctor will determine how close the match needs to be.
• The quality of the cord blood. The cord blood unit must be large enough (have enough blood-forming cells) and be free from disease and infection.

For more information, read the American Academy of Pediatrics Frequently Asked Questions about Cord Blood Banking.

No, currently cord blood stored privately cannot be listed on the registry at a later date.

First, check if your delivery hospital partners with a public cord blood bank. If your hospital is listed, contact the cord blood bank for an eligibility assessment.

Unfortunately, there is not an opportunity to donate if your hospital does not collect cord blood for a public cord blood bank. However, there are other ways to get involved and help patients including fundraising, volunteering and more. After your baby is born, you can also consider joining the NMDP Registry®.

If you are interested in cord blood donation, you should talk to your doctor and contact a public cord blood bank as early as possible. Check if your delivery hospital partners with a cord blood bank If your hospital is listed, contact the cord blood bank for an eligibility assessment.

Your labor and delivery will not be affected in any way. During delivery, all of the focus is on you and your baby. It’s only after your baby is born that blood is collected from the cord and placenta. No blood is ever taken from your baby.

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) has recommended a delay of 30-60 seconds between delivery and umbilical cord clamping in healthy, full-term babies. If expectant parents wish to donate or store cord blood, delayed clamping up to 60 seconds should not impact the volume and quality of cells. Expectant parents should discuss options for delayed umbilical cord clamping with their obstetrics provider.

Generally, donors must deliver within the contiguous U.S. (not Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico). Cord blood units need to arrive at a cord blood bank within 48 hours of collection. It’s possible that delays can occur outside the contiguous U.S. due to issues with transportation and shipping. The exception is if you deliver at a participating hospital in Hawaii.

After the cord blood unit arrives at the cord blood bank, it is:

1. Checked for the blood-forming cells needed for a transplant. If there are too few cells, the cord blood unit could potentially be used for research.
2. Tested to be sure it is free from infection or disease.
3. Tissue typed and listed on the registry, a listing of potential marrow donors and cord blood units available for patients in need of a transplant. The cord blood is identified only by a number, never by a name.

Donors usually must be 18 or older, but some states have laws allowing donations from younger women. Check with a public cord blood bank in your area to determine if you can donate.

No, public cord blood banks can only accept donations when one baby is expected. With twins, each umbilical cord has different tissue types and it’s possible the two cord blood units could be mixed up during collection.

If you have gestational diabetes, you will usually be allowed to donate. If you have medication-dependent diabetes, check with a public cord blood bank to determine if you can donate.

If you’ve ever had any type of cancer or leukemia (including skin cancers), you will not be able to donate.

It depends on the length of time since you received the transplant. If you received a heart, lung, kidney, bone marrow or other organ or tissue transplant within the last 12 months, you are not eligible to donate cord blood. If it’s been more than a year, check with a public cord blood bank.

It depends on the facility where the egg or sperm was handled and the medical history of the donor. The donor egg or sperm needs to be from a facility that is accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks. And the medical history of the person who donated the egg or sperm must be reviewed by the public cord blood bank.

An abnormal test result from an amniocentesis, blood test or ultrasound or during any other prenatal visit would be considered a fetal abnormality. Some examples include cystic fibrosis, malformed arms, legs, feet or hands, and chromosome abnormalities such as Down syndrome. Also, any genetic predisposition to certain disorders could place a patient at risk and would cause your baby’s cord blood to be excluded from the registry. However, certain minor abnormalities including clubbed feet, cysts on kidneys or cleft palate do not exclude you from being able to donate.

Thank you for your willingness to help. You can give hope to patients by:

• Joining the registry as an adult bone marrow donor
• Contributing financially to help more patients get the transplant they need
• Getting involved by signing up for email updates on how you can help us change lives
• Volunteering in our efforts

No. Only the number identifying the cord blood unit will be listed on the registry. A number will be given to the cord blood unit at the hospital. This number identifies the cord blood unit on the registry and at the public cord blood bank. No name is associated with it.

The public cord blood bank keeps the mother’s name confidential, and it protects the privacy of the family. Names are not shared with any patient or transplant center. The cord blood unit is identified only by number, which means that you and the patient will not be able to exchange any personal or identifying information.

The NMDP Registry is a listing of potential bone marrow donors and donated umbilical cord blood units. Doctors can search the registry to find a match for their patients who need a transplant but don’t have a fully-matched donor in their family. When you donate cord blood, it’s listed on the registry and stored at a public cord blood bank. Cord blood is especially useful when:

• A patient needs a transplant quickly. Sometimes a patient can’t wait several weeks or months for a donor to be contacted and the marrow donation to be collected. Cord blood units are screened, tested and stored in a public cord blood bank, making them ready to use.
• A patient's ethnic background is important in predicting the likelihood of finding a match. Patient outcomes are improved when the cells for transplant closely match the patient. However, studies show that cord blood does not need to match as closely as bone marrow or peripheral blood for a successful transplant
• There is no adult donor who is a close match for a patient.

Studies show that when donated cells closely match a patient, their chances of transplant success improve. Patients are more likely to match someone of the same ethnic background. Increasing the diversity of cord blood units on the registry makes it possible for more patients to receive a transplant. In 2022, 51% of umbilical cord blood units on the registry are ethnically diverse.