The blood left over in the umbilical cord and placenta after a baby is born has special cells in it that can treat and even cure some serious diseases. The blood can be collected and stored — and that’s what many private cord blood banking companies encourage parents to do, in case their child (or someone else in the family) develops one of those diseases in the future.
The American Academy of Pediatrics wants parentsto collect that cord blood. But instead of keeping it for themselves, they would like them to give it away to a public cord blood bank.
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. It is precious — almost magical — and absolutely worth keeping. Doing so is completely safe for the baby, and doesn’t affect labor or delivery.
The diseases that cord blood treats are not very common, so the chances of any given child developing them are low — but worldwide they affect millions of children. That’s why public blood banks are used 30 times more often than private ones. If a family has a known genetic problem that puts them at risk of developing an illness that could be treated with cord blood, then it makes sense to keep it for family use. But if that’s not the case, it makes more sense to donate it, because it’s much more likely to be needed by another family than by the baby’s family.
Giving to a public blood bank is free, but banking through a private bank costs money: $1,000 to $2,000 initially, and then a yearly fee of $100 to $200. That’s a lot of money, which means that most families who end up needing cord blood don’t have a personal supply banked for them. Private cord blood banks also don’t have to meet the same accreditation standards as public ones, which means that the cord blood may end up being less useful if it’s needed.
It is only recently that we realized how precious cord blood is; before then, we threw it out. We still throw it out heartbreakingly often. There is some advanced planning involved to collect it, which is why we need to get the word out to everyone who is or might be an expectant parent, or anyone who might know an expectant parent and can tell them about cord blood donation.
When you donate cord blood you donate something that you are unlikely to need and that could cure a disease and save a life. That’s pretty amazing.
FAQs
Cord blood is the blood left in the umbilical cord after birth. It contains stem cells. These cells have the amazing ability to grow into many different kinds of cells, like bone marrow cells, blood cells, or brain cells. This can make them valuable for treating some diseases.
Why is it important to save cord blood? ›
Why should I consider saving my baby's cord blood? Cord blood contains blood-forming stem cells that, when used in a procedure called a stem cell transplant, can rebuild the bone marrow and immune system and save the life of a patient with a serious blood disorder such as leukemia, lymphoma or sickle cell disease.
Why do people save baby umbilical cord? ›
The most common reasons parents choose cord banking are: Your baby's cord blood could be used by someone who needs a stem cell transplant to save their life. Private blood banking can help someone in your family if they need a stem cell transplant. Banking cord blood doesn't affect you or your baby at all.
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.
Why might someone save umbilical cord blood or the placenta of a newborn from a scientific perspective? ›
Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is a rich source of hematopoietic cells that can be used to replace bone marrow components. Many blood disorders and systemic illnesses are increasingly being treated with stem cells as regenerative medical therapy.
Why parents should save their baby's cord blood? ›
It contains stem cells. These cells have the amazing ability to grow into many different kinds of cells, like bone marrow cells, blood cells, or brain cells. This can make them valuable for treating some diseases.
What are the health benefits of 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.
Is it worth saving the umbilical cord? ›
The umbilical cord fluid is loaded with stem cells. They can treat cancer, blood diseases like anemia, and some immune system disorders, which disrupt your body's ability to defend itself. The fluid is easy to collect and has 10 times more stem cells than those collected from bone marrow.
What do hospitals do with umbilical cords? ›
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.
What do hospitals do with placenta after birth? ›
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.
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. —
Umbilical cord blood is a very good source of stem cells. The blood can be collected after delivery with no risk to the baby or mother. These blood stem cells (BSC) are proven to be useful in the treatment of many blood disorders and cancers.
What percentage of parents save cord blood? ›
Around 5 percent of parents choose to bank their baby's cord blood publicly or privately. Learn about the different cord blood centers and options you can consider before delivery.
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.
Who owns the umbilical cord? ›
The issue of who owns cord blood is debated. Some suggest that the cord blood sample is the property of the child on the basis that it is developmentally, biologically and genetically part of the child. Others suggest that it is the mother's property once the cord is cut.
What are the ethical issues with cord blood banking? ›
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.
Why is cord blood so valuable? ›
How does umbilical cord blood help save lives? 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.
What are the cons to storing cord blood? ›
Storing your cord blood in a private bank can prove very costly, when encompassing both the initial costs and annual fees for storage. Cord blood does not offer very many stem cells, meaning adults usually require cord blood from a few donors.
What are the benefits of storing the placenta? ›
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.
What can you do with saved cord blood? ›
Cord blood stem cells have been used in transplant medicine for over 30 years and can help treat nearly 80 conditions today. In transplants cord blood stem cells helps rebuild a healthy blood and immune system that has been damaged by disease.
