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Saving umbilical cord blood provides stem cells for future medical needs. Options include private banks for family use, public banks for transplants, and donation for research. Costs vary, but some options are free. Parents must decide before birth where to save the cord blood.
Saving an umbilical cord after the birth of a child provides parents, families and donor organizations with precious cord blood, rich in stem cells. Parents who consider the option of cord saving do so for a variety of reasons, most often for the baby’s future medical needs. Not only can cord blood be used for the child, should it become medically necessary in the future, but for others as well. In fact, there are numerous reasons to save an umbilical cord other than the baby the umbilical cord came from. Other reasons include public transplant banks, private banks for family use only, or direct donation and research.
New parents often see the need for future use by the family as the primary reason for saving an umbilical cord. If the child, parent or sibling acquires a disease or medical condition in the future, stem cells from the rescued cord blood can be used in treatments. Costs for the family vary depending on the circumstances at the time of the birth and the options available locally. Siblings with pre-existing conditions for which cord blood transplantation is a treatment option may benefit from free collection and storage of a rescued umbilical cord, depending on location and other factors.
Public cord banking provides another reason to save a umbilical cord. Where available, public cord banks provide the cord blood or stem cells needed for use in transplants and other medical procedures, regardless of donor relationship. In most cases, saving an umbilical cord and donating it to a public cord bank requires no financial expense for the donor’s family. Once donated, cord blood is available to the general population as needed, much the same as donated organs or donated blood.
Another reason parents may choose to save a umbilical cord is ongoing research. Research facilities accept donated umbilical cords and cord blood for use in further stem cell and cord blood research. Using donated material, researchers have the cellular material needed for experiments, extensive studies and treatment development. Donor families rarely incur expenses related to donating cord blood to a research-based cord blood bank facility.
When contemplating the option of saving an umbilical cord, parents must decide before birth if and where to save it. Cord blood bank options offer numerous opportunities for expecting parents, but the window of opportunity is only open for a short time after the birth of a new baby. The steps required to save an umbilical cord should begin as soon as possible after delivery to ensure the viability of the umbilical cord blood and stem cells.
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