Should you take it to the bank? Your baby’s umbilical cord contains potentially life-saving special cells that can be used to treat disease. Rather than throw them away with the placenta, why not store them in a bank for future use? Sounds like a good idea, right? You have probably seen advertisements or discussions about umbilical cord blood banking on the Internet. Whether or not to save or “bank” the cord blood of your baby is a question you should answer prior to having your baby.
What is cord blood?
Cord blood is blood that is in the umbilical cord and placenta after the birth of your baby. This blood contains cells from the baby called hematopoietic stem cells that can be used to treat certain diseases. Stem cells are special because they can grow into blood and immune system cells as well as other types of cells. Cord blood can be used as a substitute for bone marrow in stem cell transplants. More than 80 diseases are treated this way including cancers, blood disorders and genetic and metabolic diseases. Stem cells are also found in the bone marrow of adults and children, but cord blood is much easier to collect than bone marrow.
Can it fix everything?
There are a few limitations when using cord blood for stem cells. Cord blood cannot be used from babies born with genetic diseases because the stem cells will have the same genes as the baby. In addition, a child who has cancer of the blood, like leukemia, cannot be treated with his or her own stem cells. Most conditions that can be treated by a patient’s own umbilical cord blood, already exist in his or her own cells and, therefore, the stored blood cannot be used to treat the same individual. Parents should keep in mind that the chance a child or family member will develop a condition that could be treated with umbilical stem cells is rare.
Where would it be stored?
Cord blood can be stored in public or private banks. Public cord banks hold blood for anyone to use. The stem cells from the cord blood are matched with the patient who needs the blood. The cord blood is recorded in a database so that the blood match can be found when needed. There is no charge for public cord blood banking. To donate to a public cord bank, you must be screened before the blood is collected at delivery. The screening process involves a careful evaluation of the medical history of the parents and family. Not all patients will be allowed to donate to public cord banks. Information regarding public cord banking can be found at parentsguidecordblood.org. Cord blood donation costs the parents nothing but can give hope to a patient in need.
Private cord blood banks are for-profit businesses that collect and store cord blood for families who are willing to pay for such a service. Your baby’s blood is stored so that it might be used later for treating the child or another member of the family if it is needed. The company will supply you with a collection kit through the mail and then rely on the obstetrician or midwife doing your delivery to collect the umbilical cord blood at delivery and send it to the company’s laboratory for storage. Private banks charge an initial setup fee and also a yearly storage fee. Patients should keep in mind that these companies are based on profit and have the potential to go out of business. You should also know that the benefit of long-term storage of umbilical cord blood for your own baby has been questioned by medical professionals. The chance your child will need cord blood stem cells in the future is difficult to determine but is currently estimated at 1 in 2,700 or lower and the ability for them to benefit from their own stem cells is limited as previously discussed.
How is it collected?
When cord blood is collected, it is done at the time of your delivery by your doctor or the nursing staff taking care of you. Some hospitals don’t offer this service so it is important for you to check in advance of your delivery. Also, some hospitals charge a fee for the collection that may not be covered by your insurance. The blood is collected from the umbilical cord after your baby is delivered. The umbilical cord is clamped and the blood is drawn from the cord with a needle into a collection bag. The blood is then packaged and sent to the company for long-term storage. If the specimen is not sterile (contaminated by bacteria) or is not enough, it cannot be used for banking.
Are there reasons why I couldn’t bank my baby’s cord blood?
There may be times when cord blood banking is not possible or recommended. For example, in preterm babies born less than 37 weeks, delayed cord clamping for 30 to 60 seconds after birth has been shown to lower the risk of anemia and bleeding of the brain in neonates. The umbilical cord blood is allowed to go into the baby before delivery so there is little blood left in the cord for banking. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has recommended that this process not be altered for the purpose of collecting blood for banking. Some babies have short or small cords that contain less blood for banking. Also, if an emergency occurs at delivery, there may not be time to collect cord blood.
Cord blood banking is not currently considered part of normal obstetrical care. The position of ACOG is that routine storage of umbilical cord blood as “insurance” against future disease is not recommended. Therefore, your doctor will likely not bring it up during your prenatal visits. If you are interested, it is your responsibility to find out information about cord blood banking and determine if it is right for you. You will then need to contact a cord blood bank and make arrangements to send the blood collection kit to you and discuss the collection process with your doctor. The cord blood bank should be contacted at least six weeks before your expected delivery date.
Reasons why cord blood banking may not be right for you:
- If you had a preterm birth at less than 37 weeks gestation
- Few diseases are currently treatable with cord blood stem cells
- The chance your baby will need treatment with cord blood stem cells is very low
- It is unknown how long cord blood can be stored and remain useful
- Private cord blood banks are private companies that can go out of business
- Private cord blood banking is expensive
- You thought banking cord blood would be medical “insurance” for your baby
Reasons why you should consider cord blood banking:
- You or your family have a specific disease that can be treated by hematopoietic stem cells
- To donate your baby’s cord blood to help other people
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Posted In Children's, Health Information, Women's
