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Banking Baby's Cord BloodWhat Are the Benefits to Umbilical Cord Blood?Television shows and literature lead us to believe that umbilical cord blood can be life saving. What are the benefits and controversy surrounding cord blood?
The ABC medical drama Private Practice featured a storyline on October 1, 2008 about a couple who became pregnant solely to save the life of their dying 7 year old son with the new baby's cord blood. Expectant mothers and fathers in real life hear about the idea of "banking" their baby's cord blood to be used in the event of an emergency. So what are the facts? What is Cord Blood?The umbilical cord connects a fetus to the mother through the placenta from the sixth week of pregnancy until birth ("Umbilical Cord Care"). The cord is clamped and cut after delivery, leaving behind a belly button. The umbilical cord also contains blood, which is rich in haematopoietic stem cells. Some medical professionals believe that stem cell research can lead to a better understanding of diseases, such as cancer and certain birth defects. Banking Cord BloodParents can make the decision to bank their new baby's cord blood with a private blood bank. They can also donate the blood to a public blood bank. Up to 180 ML of blood is harvested from the umbilical cord and stored in a private bank. The collection costs about $2,000 and parents pay $125 per year to keep the blood stored. If parents choose to donate the blood, the public banks work with the National Marrow Donor Program to find patients who need blood. Private banks store the blood to be used only by the baby or the baby's family members. Cord Blood ControversyMedical experts at the American Association on Pediatrics released a Policy Statement on Cord Blood Banking in July of 1999 that stated: "Physicians should be aware of the unsubstantiated claims of private cord blood banks made to future parents that promise to insure infants or family members against serious illnesses in the future by use of the stem cells contained in cord blood." Many support the idea of donating cord blood to public blood banks; however, they dispute that cord blood stored privately can be used to cure diseases in the future for the baby or family members. Also, the European Union Group on Ethics issued a statement that "[t]he legitimacy of commercial cord blood banks for autologous... presently [has], no real use regarding therapeutic options.... The activities of such banks raise serious ethical criticisms" ("Opinion No. 19" of The European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies to the Europeam Commission." March 16, 2004). However, several childhood diseases have shown improvement with the introduction of banked cord blood at onset of the disease, including Type 1 Diabetes, pediatric cancers, and cerebral palsy. A Parent's ChoiceParents have the option to bank their child's cord blood but must be given all the information: there is no guarantee that a child's cord blood will be useful in fighting disease later within the family. Private storage is expensive; parents can expect to pay over $4,000 to harvest and store their baby's cord blood for 18 years. To keep the blood in storage for the average life expectancy would cost $11,725. Any parent would need to consider this cost versus the fact that cord blood is not guaranteed to come in handy down the line. However, many parents may feel that this is a small price to pay for a potential life saver for their children.
The copyright of the article Banking Baby's Cord Blood in Pregnancy & Childbirth is owned by Dresden Quinn Jones. Permission to republish Banking Baby's Cord Blood in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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