Umbilical cord blood banking is a choice that families can make at the time of their child's birth.
Did you know that stem cells from umbilical cord blood have been used in nearly 8,000 transplants worldwide? These special cells are hypoallergenic, free of infection, and can be transplanted into people with chronic genetic, blood, and autoimmune diseases.
When the stem cells replace the diseased cells, the person's immune system can begin to recover and grow strong, thanks to the process of umbilical cord banking.
But a third of all parents don't even know that this type of cord donation exists, says a study in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine.
Of the two thirds of parents who had heard of cord blood banking, three quarters knew very little about what the procedure involved or how it worked.
Here are questions for your family to consider as you consider this procedure: *What is our family medical history? Families with members who have diseases or a risk of anemia, leukemia, lymphoma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and other autoimmune diseases are more likely to benefit from private umbilical cord storage.
*Would this give us peace of mind? For many this type of tissue banking offers peace of mind in case a sibling gets seriously ill and requires a tissue transplant.
*Can we afford it? Startup and ongoing fees for umbilical cord banking may be out of your price range.
*Will our doctor or hospital perform the cord blood collection process? Special collection procedures must be followed to ensure that as many stem cells are harvested as possible.
The more stem cells harvested, the better the likelihood of a successful cord blood transplant later.
Not all facilities will conduct umbilical cord banking collection.
*Do we want to donate to a public bank or choose private storage? If you choose a public bank, your placental cord blood and umbilical cord may be available later; however, there are no guarantees that they won't be used for someone else's transplant.
If you choose a private storage facility, you pay to have access to your umbilical cord for years.