Expectant parents often hear about cord blood banking at some point during the pregnancy, but many are unsure exactly what it entails or if it is worth it. Cord blood banking has many advantages, but parents need to consider many factors before deciding if it is right for them.
Identification
Cord blood refers to the blood found in the umbilical cord after a baby is born. This blood contains stem cells that can develop into red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets or possibly any other cell types in the body.
Significance
Many serious illnesses like childhood cancers, immune system disorder and blood diseases are treated by things like radiation or chemotherapy. While these treatments often do kill the cells in the body that are causing the disease, they also kill healthy cells in the process. The transplantation of cord blood stem cells creates healthy new blood cells, which enhances the sick person's immune system and blood-producing capabilities, and assists the body in fighting the disease. Since the collection of cord blood is an easy, painless procedure and has the potential to help save lives, many professional health organizations encourage new parents to donate their baby's cord blood.
Collection Process
Parents-to-be who decide to save or donate their baby's cord blood must order a specific kit from a cord blood bank before the birth of their baby. After the baby is born, the cord blood is collected in the hospital using this kit. For vaginal deliveries, a doctor or nurse collects the cord blood from the umbilical cord before the delivery of the placenta. For cesarean births, a doctor or nurse collects the cord blood after suturing the mother's uterus. Because cesarean births are often more complicated than vaginal births, more time typically elapses before the cord blood is collected, which is why there is usually less blood collected after cesarean births than after vaginal deliveries.
After the cord blood is collected, a courier transports the blood in bags or syringes to the blood bank. The blood bank gives the cord blood an identification number and then separates the stem cells from the rest of the blood. The stem cells are then frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at the blood bank until needed, at which point they are thawed and transplanted into the sick person's body by a doctor.
Time Frame
Because researchers only began studying cord blood on an ongoing basis in the 1970s, the maximum time for storage and usage is still in the process of being determined as of 2010. However, according KidsHealth.org, doctors have successfully used stem cells that have been stored for more than a decade.
Misconceptions
The thought of a child or family member becoming sick with a life-threatening disease is what prompts many parents to make the decision to save their baby's cord blood as a sort of biological insurance against these potential illnesses. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics warns that the likelihood of this happening is very slim, ranging from only one in 1,000 to one in 200,000. Although healthy cord blood stem cells might be able to save the life of another child, it is unlikely that they will save the life of the child they were collected from or a family member of that child. While both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists support the donation of cord blood to a public bank, neither recommends private storing of cord blood for families that do not have a history of disease. Parents should carefully consider whether the monthly fee of storing their child's cord blood stem cells at a private cord blank is necessary, and should consider donating the cord blood to a non-profit public cord blood bank for free instead.
Considerations
Parents need to start planning for cord blood banking before the baby is born. It is important to get information about cord blood banking from unbiased sources, as some private cord blood banks and even physicians may get financial incentives for convincing people to sign up. Also, while there are typically no fees for donating to a public cord blood bank, the expenses involved with the collection and storage of the cord blood at private cord blood banks may be substantial for some families. The exact costs of private cord blood banks will vary depending upon the specific circumstances, so parents should learn about these costs and shop around before choosing a facility. Other factors to consider before selecting a private cord blood bank include the financially stability of the cord blood bank, the number of samples processed the facility, and whether or not there is the option of switching to another facility at a later date.
