Choosing a Cord Blood Bank

Once you have made the decision to preserve your newborn's cord blood, there are several concerns that need to be considered. Discussing these issues with your obstetrician is strongly recommended. The physician can assist in clarifying medical terminology and procedures that you may not be familiar with.

The search for a suitable cord blood bank should be started as soon as possible. There's a considerable amount of information to review and coordination to put into place with the process of banking cord blood. Private banks typically encourage soon-to-be parents to enroll in their programs during the second trimester and may even offer discounts for joining early. It's still possible to bank cord blood as late as the third trimester but there may be late fees involved.

Here are a few of the main areas that need to be addressed when choosing a private cord blood bank:

Accreditation

Make sure the bank you're considering is fully accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks specifically for the processing of cord blood stem cells. Some banks are fee-paying members of the AABB but are not fully accredited. Banks that have been accredited by AABB are monitored to ensure that the bank, lab, and administrative procedures comply with its guidelines. The AABB maintains on-line lists of facilities which have been inspected and accredited as AABB Accredited HPC Facilities.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is in the process of regulating cord-blood banking nationally. New York and New Jersey are States that currently regulate cord banking. The FDA requires cord banks to register with them so check that the bank you're considering has complied.

Experience

You'll want to know the bank's success rate for collection and storage of cord blood. Current medical recommendations should be researched for the most up-to-date information. A very important factor to consider is whether the bank has facilitated any successful transplants. Banks that have a high volume of cord blood specimens in storage but have never participated in a transplant could be an indicator that their procedures aren't careful. Transplant surgeons may at some point have rejected their cord blood. The length of time the business has been in operation also speaks to the experience of the bank.

Service

Prospective private cord blood banks should be available to answer all of your questions and concerns. They should be willing to offer educational assistance about the process of cord blood collection, storage, and banking. They are a business and have a responsibility to provide customer service. If you find that a bank is unable to give you direct answers or seem to be unavailable when you have concerns, you may want to choose an alternate provider.

Stability

Find out if the bank you are considering has a plan in place for handling specimens if they were to go out of business. Investigate whether the company is affiliated with a hospital or research institution and if it has a history of profitability. Ask about the credentials and experience of those managing the bank.

Costs

Fees related to the collection and storage of cord blood banking can vary significantly. Parents should determine what the annual fees and maintenance costs are for each bank under consideration. They should also find out if the fees are fixed or if there's a possibility that they will increase over time.