Cord blood banking is the once in a lifetime opportunity for parents to save the stem sells found in the blood of the newborn's umbilical cord. The preservation of these stem cells, which are differnet from the embryonic stem cells, allows families the benefit of having them available for existing or future medical treatments.
Cord blood stem cell banking is completely safe for both the mother and the newborn baby since cord blood cells are collected after the baby is born and after the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut.
Cord Blood Banking Options
When deciding what is best for you and your family, it ¡s important to know about all of your cord blood banking options.
Family Banking allows you to store your newborn baby’s cord blood stem cells specifically for your family, making them available immediately should your family ever need them. This service is provided by cord blood banks which charge a fee for collection, processing and storage, in which you retain ownership of your newborn baby’s stem cells. Research has shown that transplants with related cord blood stem cells have a higher survival rate as compared with unrelated (publicly) donated cord blood stem cells.
Public Donation allows your family to offer your baby’s cord blood stem cells to the public network at no cost if this option is available at your hospital. Your donation may then be made available to any patient requiring a cord blood stem cell transplant. Your family does not retain ownership of the cord blood once it has been donated. As a result, there is no guarantee that it will be available should it be needed by a family member. A fee is charged for cord blood stem cells released by a public bank to a patient undergoing a medical treatment. For more information about donating cord blood stem cells, please visit www.bethematch.org/cord
Related Donor Cord Blood Program
Through the related donor cord blood program, cord blood stem cells from your baby’s umbilical cord can be collected after birth and used to treat a biological sibling with a diagnosed disease. A cord blood transplant may, in fact, provide their best hope for treatment. What’s more there is no charge for collecting and storing the cord blood, if your family is eligible. This service is provided free through a new program developed by the Health Resources and Services Administraion (HRSA) and administered by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). Find out if your family qualifies for this program. Visit: www.marrow.org/relatedcord
Medical Waste means that the cord blood will be thrown out as waste. Once discarded, these cells cannot be retrieved for future use.
I have read the information above and discussed my cord blood banking options with my healthcare provider.