Options For Umbilical Cord Blood Banking

Umbilical cord blood banking is the process of storing your baby cord blood so that it can be used for treatment of certain diseases if required. Cord blood contains stem cells which are used to treat various genetic blood and immune system related disorders, such as leukemia, anemia and even neurological disorders. Cord blood is collected from the placenta after the baby is born. As expectant parents, you need to pledge to store your cord blood to be used for treatment when required.

You need to understand the value of banking your baby cord blood. If your family has a history of genetic disorders, then it is crucial to store your umbilical cord blood as it can be used in the future for a stem cell transplant. If you or your child needs a transplant, your cord blood will be immediately available and you will not have to wait for a donor. Banking your child's cord blood ensures a perfect match for your child and a potential match for yourself and other children you may have. Cord blood stem cells can also be used to treat unrelated persons as it does not need to be a perfect match of the recipient's tissue type.

Types Of Cord Blood Banks

You may be wondering what the options are for storing your cord blood. I will give you a cord blood bank comparison to help you decide. There are mainly two types of cord blood banks, public and private. A public cord blood bank is where you donate your cord blood to be used by any person who needs it. A private cord blood bank is a facility where you can store your own cord blood to be used in the future for yourself or your family.

If you donate your cord blood to a public bank, you make it available for anyone who needs it. Public banking is not available in all hospitals. Only certain hospitals have this facility, mainly because of limited funding.

Storing your cord blood in a private bank ensures that it is available exclusively for you and your family if the need arises. You will not have to wait for a donor who will match your cell type. Treatment can be started immediately as your blood will be ready for transplant.

In a public bank on the other hand, because you donate for anyone to use, there is no guarantee that you will get your own blood in the event that you need a stem cell transplant. You will have to use the blood of an unrelated donor.

There is also the cost factor. A public bank does not charge you for donating your cord blood as it is used for community service. It is not owned by you anymore but by the bank, which is why you don't need to pay to store it there. In a private bank there is a charge to store your cord blood because you are preserving it for your own use. There is also a yearly maintenance fee which is usually not more than $100.

Given the above information you can now decide which option of umbilical cord blood banking would be suitable for you.