The umbilical cord – the lifeline between mother and baby – was historically discarded as medical waste after birth.
Today, a growing number of parents are choosing to preserve cord blood to protect their baby’s future health.
With the birth of a baby comes a number of decisions, one of which is whether to bank the newborn’s cord blood cells.
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whether Cord Blood Banking How beneficial this is for a family depends on a variety of factors, including the current health of their child, the existence of twins in the family, and many other individual considerations.
What is cord blood banking?
Cord blood banking involves the collection and storage of the following: stem cells It is obtained from the umbilical cord blood of a newborn baby immediately after birth.
This is because of its potentially lifesaving potential, as the hematopoietic stem cells found in cord blood have the unique ability to differentiate into different types of blood cells.
There are two main types of banks for cord blood: public and private. (BSIP/UIG)
Preserving cord blood cells offers the option for therapeutic use in cancer treatment in the future. Category of diseases For a child or sibling.
Due to the immature nature of these stem cells, there is a low chance of rejection during transplantation. This increases the usefulness of the blood cells in medical procedures for the donor or family members.
Cord Blood Banking Process
Cord blood banking can be done at the time of birth, either vaginally or surgically, and regardless of whether the delivery was induced or spontaneous.
Once the parents decide to collect the blood, the doctor will clamp the umbilical cord in two places and cut it, separating the mother’s and the baby’s blood.
Once the blood is collected and sealed, it will be sent to a cord blood bank for storage.
The doctor will usually collect 60 to 300 milliliters (mL) of cord blood by inserting a needle into the umbilical cord. The amount collected can vary, and not all collections will be enough for medical use for the baby or siblings in the future.
Once the blood has been collected and sealed, it will be sent to a hospital. Cord blood bank for storage,
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates cord blood banking and donation. (Education Images/Universal Images Group)
According to WebMD.com, this procedure is relatively easy to collect the fluid and does not cause pain to the mother or baby.
The collection process usually takes about five minutes to complete.
Blood can be stored in several different locations, depending on the family’s decision and circumstances.
- Public cord banks. These are free to use, but donations are available to anyone.
- Private cord banks. These blood banks will store blood for use only by the donor and the donor’s family members. This can be an expensive option as there is a processing fee and annual storage charges.
- Direct-donation banks. These are a mix of public and private banks. They store cord blood for public use, but also accept donations to preserve stem cells for the baby.
Cord blood is collected immediately after birth in a painless procedure that causes no harm to the mother or baby. (BSIP/Universal Images Group)
When discussing options, cord blood banking often refers to private banking, while cord blood donation usually refers to public banking.
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics, private cord banking may not be worth the financial expense for the family. This is because the price is too high for the likelihood that the baby will need blood at some point.
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These organizations suggest that routine storage of cord blood for stem cells is unproven as a form of insurance, and therefore they caution parents when considering it.
However, according to these organizations, donating to a public storage bank can benefit the community.
There is usually no cost to donate cord blood at a public bank, but private banking can be expensive, involving an initial collection fee and annual storage fees. (BSIP/UIG)
What are the uses of cord blood banking?
Cord blood banking may be beneficial because the stem cells are hematopoietic stem cells, meaning they are immature but can become various types of mature cells within the body.
Not only do they require less matching, but they also cause fewer infections.
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Stem cells located within the umbilical cord may provide life-saving support for a number of conditions later in life.
Stem cells from the umbilical cord Treat various conditionsInvolved:
- cancer
- anemia
- Immune system disorders
Once cord blood is collected and stored, it can remain viable for a long time. Research shows that cord blood can be stored for at least 10 years, but often longer. (QAI Publishing/Universal Images Group)
One advantage of using cord blood stem cells is that they are very unlikely to cause infectious diseases.
They are also highly effective, as they are half as likely to be rejected as other stem cells because they are immunogenic due to their immature nature.
What are the disadvantages of cord blood banking?
According to a study cited by the National Library of Medicine, the utilization rate of blood collected through this process is only 8%.
One reason for the low rate is that blood is not always useful for diseases that develop later in life.
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Whether or not cord blood can be used involves several factors, such as whether blood from twins can be used if one of them is healthy and the other is born with a genetic disorder.
Blood taken from a sick baby cannot be used later for a healthy baby, but the reverse can be true if the blood is a perfect match.
Patients are more likely to find a genetic match among donors of their own ethnic background. (BSIP/Universal Images Group)
The American Academy of Pediatrics identifies several circumstances as not ideal for cord blood banking.
Identical twins are often not the best match for each other, because there are slight genetic differences in the blood cells.
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In addition, public blood banks can only accept blood donations from the umbilical cord of a mother who has given birth to a single child. This is done because of the possibility that blood units may get mixed up during blood collection for twins.
Another disadvantage of using cord blood cells is that they take longer to produce the desired therapeutic effect, because they are hematopoietic stem cells.
How much does cord blood banking cost?
According to the American Pregnancy Association, there are usually two separate fees for preserving a baby’s cord blood cells. The initial fee covers enrollment and collection.
After this, annual storage charges will also have to be paid.
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According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, those who go this route may have to pay between $1,350 and $2,350 for the initial collection, testing, and registration. Annual storage fees often range from $100 to $175, but different storage banks will have different costs.
Currently, research on cord blood stem cells is ongoing. Scientists are investigating the possibility of treating conditions such as cerebral palsy and type 1 diabetes. (iStock)
If the parents donate blood cells There is no cost involved in this rope that comes out of the umbilical cord.
The future of cord blood banking
The future of cord blood banking remains uncertain. Still, preserving cord blood cells can have significant health benefits today, opening up new avenues for disease treatment as advancements in this field continue.
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Given that the first successful cord blood stem cell transplant was performed as recently as 1988, as documented by the National Library of Medicine, the science surrounding this method is relatively new.
With ongoing research, the scope and efficacy of cord blood use is set to increase.
