Cord Blood Banking Questions
The blood that remains in your baby’s umbilical cord after it has been cut is called cord blood and is rich in stem cells. Stem cell therapies are one of the most promising areas of medical treatment and have already been used to treat nearly 70 diseases, including leukemia and blood disorders. According to the Cord Blood Donor Foundation, cord blood stem cells can treat the same diseases as the stem cells in bone marrow, with significantly less chance of harmful rejection. Expectant parents can save their baby’s cord blood at birth by making arrangements with a family cord blood bank. Family banks save cord blood for the exclusive use of the baby or other family members. Here are some of the most common questions parents have about cord blood banking:
Q. What are cord blood stem cells?
A: Umbilical cord blood is rich in stem cells, the building blocks of organ tissue, blood, and the immune system. Collecting cord blood stem cells is non-invasive and performed immediately following the delivery of a baby.
Q: What diseases are treated with stem cell transplantation?
A: Stem cells have a natural regenerative power to heal, and have been used for decades to treat nearly 70 life-threatening illnesses including leukemia, blood disorders, and other cancers. Additionally, the potential for using stem cells to treat a number of common illnesses, such as heart disease, juvenile diabetes, and brain injury, is one of the most promising areas of medical research.
Q: Who can use my baby’s stem cells?
A: Your baby will be a perfect match for the cells, and the mother can also use the cells due to her carrying the child during the pregnancy.1 The most common use for cord blood stem cells is between siblings; however, any family member who is a suitable genetic match may benefit from these cells.
Q: How likely is it that my family will need to use stem cells?
A: According to published research, the odds that your child will need to use stem cells for currently available treatments is estimated at between 1 in 200 and 1 in 400.2. Most importantly, if your family needs stem cells, using your own family’s cord blood has been shown to have significant advantages compared to using cord blood from an unrelated donor3. Additionally, siblings are twice as likely to be able to use each other’s cord blood compared to each other’s bone marrow.
Q. How is cord blood collected?
A: Collecting your baby’s cord blood is painless, does not interfere with the delivery, and takes only a few minutes. Immediately following delivery, the umbilical cord is clamped and cut. An obstetrician or nurse will collect the blood from the umbilical cord before it is discarded. The collected cord blood is then shipped via medical courier to the cord blood bank where it is processed and cryogenically stored. When you enroll with a cord blood bank, you will receive a collection kit that contains everything your doctor will need for the collection.
Ask Dr. Sears
Should I bank my baby’s cord blood?
I strongly recommend cord blood banking to my patients. Using your own family’s cord blood has been shown to significantly improve medical outcomes compared to using cord blood from someone outside your family. In fact, it is twice as likely that siblings will be able to use each other’s cord blood for treatment compared to each other’s bone marrow. Currently, a number of serious diseases have been treated with cord blood stem cells. And there’s a more compelling reason to save these cells—their potential to treat diseases like juvenile diabetes, heart disease, and brain injury. As new treatments develop, having cord blood stem cells on hand to treat these conditions will be invaluable.
Parents have only one chance with each child to bank his or her cord blood stem cells. The importance of banking is clear, but the financial commitment may deter some families. Thankfully, payment plans make the cost well within reach for most people. I believe cord blood banking is well worth the investment for a family’s future, and parents should strongly consider making use of this valuable service.
Pediatrician Dr. Robert Sears is a noted author, CBR medical advisor and the father of three boys.
1. Harris D, Schumacher M, LoCascio J, et al. Bone Marrow Transplantation. 1994;14:63-68.
2. Pasquini MC, Logan BR, Verter F, et al. Blood. 2005;106 (11)
3. Gluckman E, Rocha V, Boyer-Chammard A, et al. Outcome of cord blood transplantation from related and unrelated donors. New England Journal of Medicine. 1997;337(6):373-381.
