Cord Blood Banking

Umbilical cord blood was at one time discarded as it was thought to be useless. We know now it can be used for treating a variety of diseases, particularly those of the immune system, and fortunately the sky is the limit when dealing with the precious stem cells ford in umbilical cord blood.

Public vs. Private Cord Blood Banks

If you donate your baby's cord blood to a public cord blood bank, it can benefit anyone who needs it. Unfortunately, you and your child lose all rights to retrieve that blood later, should it be needed. Think of this like donating blood at a blood bank; it's for everyone's use, not yours or your family's.

If you store at a private cord blood bank, you keep the rights to that blood and it can benefit your child later on, should he or she ever need to use it. It is also worth noting that family members, too, may benefit from this should they ever need it.

This is not a decision to take lightly. You only get one chance to bank your baby's blood, and it might save your child's life or a family member's life in the future. If you can afford it, it is strongly suggested that you bank the blood at a private blood bank.

As medicine progresses each day, we only get closer and closer to better treatment, and cord blood will absolutely be a part of that. The next twenty years will be an exciting time in medicine, and we haven't even begun to see what the future holds.

If you have a family history of any disease warranting bone marrow transplants, from leukemia to sickle cell anemia, the odds of needing the cord blood stem cells increase.

Please note that we do not endorse any specific cord blood bank. We only provide information about umbilical cord blood and the system itself.

Choosing a Bank

Private cord blood banks exist in every major American and Canadian city and the surrounding areas. There are also 6-7 in Mexico, 7-8 in the United Kingdom, and many spread throughout Europe and South/Central America. If there are no banks by you, you can have the blood shipped by medical courier. That being said, here are some things to consider:

1) When you visit the cord blood banks' websites, make sure that they are accredited by the AABB (American Association of Blood Banks).

2) Prices vary, however there is usually an initial collection fee and then a small yearly storage fee. Make notes and compare.

3) Find out if the cord blood bank will contact the labor and delivery staff proactively, or if you need to coordinate that. A good cord blood bank will do this for you!

4) How will the cord blood be transported to the blood bank? Make sure they use a medical courier like AirNet Express or QuickSTAT- generally they have contracts with one or the other. Both are well-known companies to your doctors, but ask if they have a preference. It is generally suggested that you avoid Fedex in this case because they cannot guarantee that the temperature during transport remains stable.

5) Ask what tests are performed on the maternal blood, and if they ever reject samples based on this. Find out if they ever reject a contaminated sample for any reason, before you pick the bank.