What is Umbilical Cord Blood Banking?
Pregnant Moms Can Save Baby's Stem Cells for Use in Transplants
Sep 30, 2009
Umbilical cord blood banking involves collecting the stem cells contained in the baby's cord blood. Umbilical cord blood collection is performed in the moments following a child's birth. The cord blood can be used to treat the child or a sibling (and, in rare cases, a parent) if they develop diseases like cancer, Hodgkin's Disease and even anemia.
Why Should Pregnant Parents Bank Umbilical Cord Blood?
A baby's umbilical cord blood contains stem cells. The stem cells contained in cord blood are unique in that they are not yet specialized. In layman's terms, the stem cells have not yet received their "assignment" for what type of cell they will ultimately become. Cells in the blood are very different from skin cells, which are different from the cells in the heart. Each organ system has its own unique cell type.
The umbilical cord blood's stem cells are important because they can turn into different types of cells, so they're very useful for treating diseases like cancer, where the bone marrow cells are killed off through chemotherapy and radiation. The healthy stem cells from the umbilical cord blood are transplanted into the patient, where they'll transform into the necessary cell type.
Umbilical cord blood can be used to treat the child or even immediate family members like siblings. For instance, parents who bank umbilical cord blood may not have to undergo a lengthy search for a suitable bone marrow donor if a child develops leukemia. The child's own umbilical cord blood can be used to treat leukemia and the child has a better chance of survival since there is no wait to find a bone marrow donor, and a precise match is not required for the immature cord blood stem cells; this also means a lower chance of rejection if the cells are transplanted to another child.
How is Umbilical Cord Blood Collected and Banked?
The process to collect umbilical cord blood is painless and fairly simple. In the moments after birth, the child's umbilical cord is clamped and severed. The physician will then remove the blood from the umbilical cord.
Once collected, the baby's umbilical cord blood is promptly sent to the cord blood bank, where it is frozen in a tank of liquid nitrogen. The baby's cord blood remains at the bank until it's required to treat an illness or until the family decides they longer wish to store the cord blood.
The only real risk of cord blood banking is associated with the cord blood collection process. The sooner the umbilical cord is clamped, the more blood will be present inside the cord. But if the umbilical cord is clamped and cut too soon, the baby can suffer adverse health effects like blood loss. Other than this potential danger of cord blood collection, there are no significant cons to umbilical cord blood banking aside from the cost and the potential that the cord blood stem cells may never be required.
How Much Does it Cost for Umbilical Cord Blood Banking?
Unfortunately, the cost of banking umbilical cord blood can be prohibitive for some parents due to the initial fee associated with saving the baby's cord blood. A look at several umbilical cord blood bank programs revealed that the average cost to bank a baby's cord blood is as follows:
- A one-time fee of approximately $1,500 when the umbilical cord blood is initially stored at the cord blood bank, and;
- A yearly cost of approximately $120, which amounts to an average of $10 per month.
Most families can afford the $10 per month fee to save a baby's umbilical cord blood, but some new families may find the initial fee of $1,500 prohibitive, particularly at a time when the soon-to-be parents are spending thousands of dollars to purchase furniture, equipment, clothing, supplies and toys for the new baby.
One strategy that a family may employ when attempting to get the money to bank umbilical cord blood for their new baby involves requesting money donations instead of gifts at their baby shower. Parents may also save a couple hundred dollars per month throughout the duration of the pregnancy.
Planning Umbilical Cord Blood Collection and Donating Cord Blood Stem Cells
Arrangements for umbilical cord blood banking must be made prior to delivery, so parents must make a decision before the anticipated due date to avoid a situation where the cord blood cannot be banked due to a lack of advance planning.
If a family does not wish to save a baby's umbilical cord blood, there is always the option of cord blood donation. Umbilical cord blood donations can be taken to a public bank, where the stem cells may used to help another child who is in need of a transplant.
Donating cord blood can be done at no cost to the family. In the United States, the donated cord blood will be provided to the Be The Match Registry, run by The National Marrow Donor Program.
In a few cases, donated umbilical cord blood could be used in research. According to Marrow.org, the cord blood donation may be used for research if there are are an insufficient number of stem cells, so few that it would not be possible to perform a transplant. The mother must also meet certain health guidelines if her baby's cord blood is to be donated to a public bank.
Related Articles on Pregnancy
Expecting mothers may also enjoy reading about another decision that will need to be made during pregnancy – the decision of whether to learn the baby's gender before birth.
Some women who are planning a family may wonder, "Can I Pick My Baby's Gender?"
Pregnant women may want to read Baby Gender Tests for Pregnant Women, along with Pregnancy Myths – Determining Baby's Gender.
Sources: Marrow.org and Health.com
 |
