Cord Blood Banking Pros and Cons

Cord blood is a short term used for blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta post-delivery. It is also defined as the process of collecting the cord blood and extracting a cryogenically freezing its stem cells and other cells of the immune system for potential future medical use.

Do Cord Blood and Cord Blood Banking is Related?

 Cord blood is also related to cord blood banking and it often catches all terms used for various cells that are stored.

Moreover, it may be surprising for some parents to do cord blood banking and they learn to store cord blood contains what people think about cord blood banking. One of the major goals of cord blood banking is to reduce the volume of red blood cells in any cord blood collection.

How Does Cord Blood Banking Work?

Most parents nowadays would like their babies cord blood to help safeguard their families. Moreover, many cord blood banks have an upfront cost of cord blood that runs between about $1000 and $2000, and this upfront fee also includes the price of the kit provided to collect and safely transport cord blood.

This runs from about $100 to $200 per year for continued storage and there is often a yearly fee on the baby’s birthday.

Pros of Cord Blood Banking

In this article, we are going to have a look at the pros of cord blood banking. Here are a few.

Most people can receive stem cells from cord blood than bone marrow and this is mainly because cord blood does have to perfectly match the person receiving the transplant. On the other hand, it is closely as with bone marrow transplants.

They help to support the immune system during cancer treatments and most people cannot use stem cells from bone marrow in this way.

Cord blood provides a donation to the cord blood bank and it is free.

Cord blood banking provides a donation to public cord bank and it helps to save the lives of others and collection of cord blood is less complicated, painful, and risky for the donor rather than collecting bone marrow.

Moreover, a cord blood bank provides no risk to newborns or people giving birth, and cord blood banks can freeze and store cord blood which means that it is ready for use when needed.

There also exists less chance of a person’s body rejecting the bone marrow and people cannot use bone marrow in this way. The main reason why you should choose cord blood banking is that it helps you to save your child from 80 plus diseases.

1) Easy To Collect

There exists no risk for the mother or baby in extracting the blood from the umbilical cord and the collection process is easily performed at the same time such as cutting off the blood cord. On the other hand, it provides support and required an invasive, surgical procedure and general anesthesia and which comes with its inherent risks.

2) Better Matching for the Receiver

They must match with the receiver for the stem cells to be successfully transplanted. It can be found in some public databases and the chance of finding a match is low. Complications can arise within unrelated blood transfusions and generally related stem cells from blood-related family members may result in a successful transplant. The patient must rely on his stem cells and those who are from an immediate family member and if a public match can’t be found.

3) Less Risk of Post-Transplant Complications

Cord blood cells have significantly reduced the risk of post-transplant graft versus host disease and GVHD is when transplanted cells will attack the body and it is the biggest complication of stem cells transplant.

The risk of GVHD transplant depends on the relationship between donor and receiver according to the national institute of health and it provides identical twins with low chances of suffering from GVHD. Moreover, blood-related family members contain a chance of producing near about 35 percent to 45 percent of the GVHD and unrelated 60 to 80 percent chances of GVHD. Cord blood stem cells have been contaminated with latent viruses and it is part of better acceptance by the body and same is not true for other stem cells from responses. Thus, cord blood cells have been dubbed while they have not been exposed to other diseases.

Cons of Cord Blood Banking

Now it’s time to switch towards the cons of cord blood banking.

Cord blood cells do not contain many stem cells and it means that adults don’t need transplant that requires blood stem cells from multiple donors and not everyone is eligible to donate cord blood.

On the other hand, people have to pay a fee for storing cord blood in the blood bank, it could prove costly and some hospitals may charge you a small fee for public collection.

Not all hospitals will collect cord blood for public usage and privately cord blood may not be more effective than undergoing a transplant of stem cells from a stranger.

People first decide and then pay for cord blood donation upfront and provide their consent before labor starts and donation to cord blood bank is free.

1) How Does Cord Blood Banking Works?

Cord blood banking is a new experience and especially for many parents. Mothers are extremely worried about how their delivery will go and don’t want to be worried about the details of processing, collecting, and cryo–processing their baby’s cord. Here are few steps found in cord blood banking and health care provider and cord blood bank do most of their work.

It sends you a collection kit and they need to be stored properly at room temperature.

Cord blood bank kit goes with exception to the delivery center and upon collection mother’s blood is tested for infectious diseases as mandated by federal regulations.

Parents call at the free toll number on the collection kit to have a medical courier any times 24 hours a day and a collection bag with the baby’s blood cord and mother’s blood are placed on the back inside the collection kit.

Bottom-Line

A cord blood bank is a difficult process before you decide to donate blood; you must go through this guide. It entails the detailed pros and cons of cord blood banking.