Cord Blood Bank

Any time a mother is expecting a baby, the umbilical cord acts as the life support system between mother and baby. Using a cord blood bank is vital because after the umbilical cord is removed following the child’s birth, you will no longer have the prospect of retaining the special cells contained in the umbilical cord that happen to be a perfect match with the baby which you may have stored.

If you preserve your child’s stem cells by means of cord blood banking, your child is going to possess a guaranteed supply of perfectly matched cells which can help your son or daughter in the unfortunate event that they develop a life threatening disease. The stored stem cells can be utilized when trying to fight this disease. All you’ve got to do is request that the umbilical cord and the cord blood it contains are retained after your delivery.

So what are the illnesses that can be treated using umbilical cells stored in a cord blood bank? Stem cells which have been stored in a cord blood bank can be used in the treatment of the following life-threatening illnesses: leukemia, lymphoma, breast cancer, Hodgkin’s disease, aplastic anemia, many other cancers, sickle cell anemia,certain blood diseases, hereditary/genetic conditions and various immune system disorders. There are approximately 14 million new cancer types that are being recoded each year. Single cell transplants that can be treated using cord blood include ling cancer, AIDS, lupus, multiple sclerosis and many other genetic diseases, with more being identified all the time.

Cord Blood Bank

You might also be wondering if the cord blood you plan to bank can be used by your other children. The cord blood you bank will be a perfect match for the child who’s umbilical cord the cord blood comes from, however, if you have another child the cord blood you have previously banked may be a close enough match that it could be used to treat them as well. Obviously it makes sense to bank the cord blood for each child to guarantee a perfect match, but you may not be in a position financially to do it for each child. There is the 1 in 4 chance that the cord blood banked from one sibling will prove to be beneficial for another of your children. Relatives or other close friends who haven’t banked any cord blood may also benefit from the stem cells you have had stored, although only if they are a close enough match with the cord blood banking donor’s stem cells.

How are the stem cells actually collected so they can be stored in a cord blood bank? The collection process takes place immediately after the delivery of a baby after the cord has been cut from the newborn child. It does not in any way interfere with the birth of your baby. The attending physician, nurse or even the midwife will collect the cord blood for banking by placing the umbilical cord in a sterile container which is usually provided by your chosen Cord Blood Bank. The collected cord blood is then sealed in this specially designed package and then delivered direct to the cord blood bank’s laboratory where it is tested and prepared for storage. Once the necessary tests are complete, the sample is cryogenically stored in the cord blood bank until it is needed by the child.

Some parents are concerned when it comes to cord blood banking as to how safe the cord blood will be once in the cord blood bank. According the the New York State Department of Health, there is no evidence that cord blood stem cells stored at minus 196 degrees Celsius lose either in vitro-determined viability or biological activity. Current data reflects that cord blood cells stored for fifteen years have the same composition as they did at the time of storage. All data so far gathered in the cryogenic storage of cells also indicates that the cells should remain viable indefinitely.

Now you have a better understanding of the benefits, procedures and safety of using a Cord Blood Bank, you are better prepared to make a decision in your own personal situation.