Why Save Cord Blood?

During the 1970's researchers realized that the blood from an infant's umbilical cord contained the same type of cells that are found in bone marrow and by the 80's further research revealed that these cells could serve a vital role in helping to regenerate blood for people with blood-related cancers and disorders. A child in France received the first successful cord blood transplant in 1988 for a condition called Fanconi's Anemia. Since that time, many companies in the United States have been formed with the mission of researching the use of cord blood to help people with chronic diseases, and to preserve cord blood for use by families in the future.

Cord blood is removed from the umbilical cord after it is cut from the infant immediately following birth. Cord blood contains hematopoietic, or blood forming, cells that can be used to treat serious conditions such as leukemia and certain types of cancer. These cells are very similar to bone marrow cells, which are often used for transplant for the same diseases.

Harvesting cord blood does not affect the labor and delivery experience in any way, nor does it cause any discomfort to the mother or infant. Parents who are interested in banking their child's cord blood must contact a bank in advance to arrange for the collection of the blood. The cord bank sends a collection kit to the parents to bring to the hospital where the blood is collected by medical professionals after the birth. The blood is then sent in a special collection and storage container, via courier to the cord blood bank. There it undergoes a cryopreservation process and can be stored virtually indefinitely. Should someone in the family need a cord blood transplant later, the bank will facilitate transportation to the medical facility.

Cord blood banking is not inexpensive, and the fees for collection and preparation for cryopreservation are not the only costs associated with the process. Customers must also pay a yearly fee for the continued storage of the cord blood. Cord blood can be life saving, but only in the event that a family member gets a condition that is treatable with a cord blood transplant and happens to be an exact tissue match for that transplant. However, as medical research continues to progress, it is possible that doctors will discover more and more medical applications for cord blood cells. In addition to private cord blood storage companies, there are also public banks that parents can choose to donate to. Although there is no guarantee that your child's cord blood would be available to your family in the future, the donor banks attempt to match up all patients in need of a transplant.

The benefits of banking cord blood are many. Stem cells in cord blood can be given to patients with serious blood conditions, where they can help the patient's own body to produce more healthy blood cells. The chances of rejection are less than in comparable treatments, such as bone marrow transplants, and for that reason an exact tissue match is not necessary. Cord blood is also proving beneficial in the treatment of immune disorders, blood-clotting problems and even metabolic disorders. By banking cord blood now, it is preserved so that it can be used for these or any number of other as-yet-undiscovered applications.