What Are The Benefits Of Placenta Banking? (2024)

Placenta banking is the process of collecting the powerful cells from the placenta after birth and storing them for your baby should they need to use them in future.

Although the placenta is usually thrown away as medical waste after the birth, there are a huge array of benefits to banking your placenta.

What is the placenta?

The placenta is an organ that grows during pregnancy and attaches itself to the wall of the uterus. It passes nutrients to the baby and also removes waste products from the baby’s blood. The placenta is the organ from which the umbilical cord arises.

After the baby is born the placenta is delivered in what’s called the third stage of labour. This normally happens within 5-30 minutes, although this can vary. During a Caesarean section the placenta is removed by the doctor as part of the process. [1]

How does the process work?

Like banking cord blood and cord tissue, banking placenta is a quick, easy and non-invasive process. Following the birth, cells from either the amniotic membrane, (the inner layer of the placenta) the chorionic villi (the outer layer of the placenta) or both are collected by your licensed medical specialist or phlebotomist.

They are added to the Collection Kit along with any other cells you have chosen to store (like the stem cells from cord blood or cord tissue) and are then transported by medical courier to the storage facility where they are placed into cryogenic storage until the moment your baby needs them.

What are the benefits of placenta banking?

Banking your placenta along with banking cord blood means storing more cell types, which maximises the number of treatments your baby will be able to access in future.

You can choose to store the cells from both the amnion, also known as the amniotic membrane, and the chorionic villi.

The amniotic membrane contains a combination of growth factors and anti-inflammatory proteins, which can help cells communicate when the body is damaged or diseased.

Cells from the amnion have been used to treat burns, wounds and ulcers since the early 1900s. Their anti-inflammatory properties means that they currently have a range of applications for topical and ophthalmological treatments. [2] [3]

See Also
Cord Blood

Today, they are being used in clinical trials to develop regenerative therapies for conditions ranging from type 2 diabetes [4] to lung and liver fibrosis [5] [6], with research indicating that their potential uses will only increase.

You can also choose to store placental cells. These are the cells from the chorionic villi, small tree-like structures that extend outward from the chorion, the outer layer of the placenta.

Researchers are currently exploring the huge potential for using cells from the chorionic villi in treatments for Crohn’s disease [7], osteoarthritis [8], stroke [9] and many more.

By banking cells from both the amnion and the chorionic villi, you’ll be giving your baby the chance to access more cell types that they’ll be able to use in future, life-changing therapies.

We Are the Only UK Placenta Storage Bank

Cells4Life is the only placenta storage bank in the UK, giving you the opportunity to store amnion and/or placental cells in a process that is simple, easy and non-invasive.

Find out more about banking your baby’s stem cells by downloading our Welcome Pack below or getting in touch with us on 01444 873950.

References

[1] Mayo Clinic

[2] Schmiedova, Iveta et al. “Using of Amniotic Membrane Derivatives for the Treatment of Chronic Wounds.” Membranes vol. 11,12 941. 29 Nov. 2021, doi:10.3390/membranes11120941

[3] Parents Guide to Cord Blood Foundation

[4] Wang, Z., Li, H., Fang, J. et al. Comparative Analysis of the Therapeutic Effects of Amniotic Membrane and Umbilical Cord Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes. Stem Cell Rev and Rep 18, 1193–1206 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12015-021-10320-w

[5] Arki MK, Moeinabadi-Bidgoli K, Hossein-Khannazer N, Gramignoli R, Najimi M, Vosough M. Amniotic Membrane and Its Derivatives: Novel Therapeutic Modalities in Liver Disorders. Cells. 2023; 12(16):2114. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12162114

[6] Gong, Liming et al. “Human Amnion-Derived MSCs Alleviate Acute Lung Injury and Hinder Pulmonary Fibrosis Caused by Paraquat in Rats.” Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity vol. 2022 3932070. 19 Mar. 2022, doi:10.1155/2022/3932070

[7] Melmed, Gil Y et al. “Human Placenta-derived Cells (PDA-001) for the Treatment of Moderate-to-severe Crohn’s Disease: A Phase 1b/2a Study.” Inflammatory bowel diseases vol. 21,8 (2015): 1809-16. doi:10.1097/MIB.0000000000000441

[8] Willett, Nick J et al. “Intra-articular injection of micronized dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane attenuates osteoarthritis development.” Arthritis research & therapy vol. 16,1 R47. 6 Feb. 2014, doi:10.1186/ar4476

[9] Kong, TaeHo et al. “Immunomodulatory effect of CD200-positive human placenta-derived stem cells in the early phase of stroke.” Experimental & molecular medicine vol. 50,1 e425. 12 Jan. 2018, doi:10.1038/emm.2017.233

What Are The Benefits Of Placenta Banking? (2024)

FAQs

What Are The Benefits Of Placenta Banking? ›

More cells, more treatments

What are the benefits of saving your placenta? ›

Let's explore the benefits and potential uses of placental tissue banking:
  • Enhanced Regenerative Potential. Placental tissue, with its unique composition, contains an abundance of regenerative cells and growth factors. ...
  • Potential Applications in Wound Healing. ...
  • Neurological Disorders and Nervous System Repair.

Why are placentas so valuable? ›

The placenta is most often used to heal traumatic wounds and diabetic ulcers. Medical research and doctors use the placenta to help patients with eye injuries and diseases, for spinal and dental procedures and for sports injuries.

What do hospitals do with placenta and umbilical cord? ›

Usually, the umbilical cord and placenta are discarded after birth. If a mother chooses to have her cord blood collected, the health care team will do so after the baby is born. With a sterile needle, they'll draw the blood from the umbilical vessels into a collection bag.

How much does it cost to save placenta? ›

Additional storage tissue, such as placental tissue or umbilical cord tissue, can cost even more, adding an additional $800 to $1,300 a year, on average.

Is it worth keeping your placenta? ›

In particular, placental stem cells help in the treatment of complications of diabetes mellitus, viral hepatitis B and C, joint diseases, infertility. The placenta extract has a wide range of application. It is used in cosmetology, regenerative medicine, traumatology.

Is umbilical cord banking worth it? ›

Although privately banked cord blood is not likely to help your baby, it may help a sibling who has an illness that could be treated with a stem cell transplant. These include leukemia, sickle cell disease, Hodgkin's lymphoma, and thalassemia.

Why are you not allowed to keep your placenta? ›

A placenta provides a perfect environment for germs to grow, which can be a threat to your health and the health of other people around you. Sometimes, it is necessary for your placenta to go to a laboratory to be examined further. If this is the case you will not be able to take the placenta home immediately.

Can you get paid for donating your placenta? ›

However, donors are not compensated or charged in any way for their placenta donation. The benefit to the mother is knowing you have helped others in need.

Why do parents save the placenta? ›

However, nowadays some parents are keeping the placenta after birth for a variety of reasons. Some believe that eating the placenta offers a range of health benefits, while others want it for a variety of other meaningful uses, such as planting it with a tree or incorporating it into jewelry.

Can you sue the hospital for taking your placenta? ›

The short answer is yes, you can sue.. But you must have solid grounds to do so. Can you sue for retained placenta? A birth injury lawyer can help answer that question for you, based on the details of your case.

Can a hospital refuse to give you your placenta? ›

What happens to your placenta is governed by state law, and varies according to where you give birth. Even when permitted by state law, some hospitals are resistant to turning over your placenta. To help ensure the hospital respects your request, we have drafted letters that you can use to assert your rights.

Does placenta have side effects? ›

Side Effects of Eating Placenta

Increased uterine cramping. More vagin*l bleeding. Digestive issues.

Who owns cord blood? ›

At the majority of private cord blood banking facilities, the mother owns all rights to the cord blood that was banked, until the minor in which the cord blood was taken turns eighteen.

Does insurance pay for cord blood banking? ›

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.

Can I keep my baby's umbilical cord stump? ›

Box it. Newborn babies normally leave the hospital with the stump of their umbilical cord still attached. Between five and 15 days after the baby's birth, it will dry out, turn black and drop off. Some parents decide to keep the remainder of the cord as a keepsake and store it in a special box or scrapbook.

Why would a woman save her placenta? ›

After birth, women eat placenta in order to supplement their diets with nutrients and hormones that might be helpful for a number of postpartum issues. Placenta can be eaten cooked or steamed. It can also be dried, powdered and put into capsules – this is called placental encapsulation.

Is it good to donate your placenta? ›

Donated placenta can be used to heal patients with serious burns, sores and other wounds that are difficult to heal. Your decision to share this gift does not affect the birth or medical care of you or your baby.

What are the benefits of keeping the placenta attached? ›

For both term and preterm infancy, delayed cord clamping has been shown to:
  • increase hemoglobin levels.
  • improve iron stores over the first few months of life.
  • improve red blood cell volume.
  • improve circulation.
  • decrease need for blood transfusion.
  • decrease risk of necrotizing enterocolitis and intraventricular hemorrhage.
Nov 15, 2018

What is the purpose of keeping the placenta after birth? ›

However, nowadays some parents are keeping the placenta after birth for a variety of reasons. Some believe that eating the placenta offers a range of health benefits, while others want it for a variety of other meaningful uses, such as planting it with a tree or incorporating it into jewelry.

References

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