Storing or Donating Umbilical Cord Blood

Storing and donating umbilial cord blood after the umbilical cord has been clamped is on the rise in the United States of America. Because we have heard a great deal about stem cell research, cord blood banking is becoming more common. Parents now have the option of storing their baby's cord blood with a private company or donating it to the hospital.

During a woman's pregnancy, the placenta and umbilcal cord transfer nutrients and oxygen to the baby in utero. After delivery, the umbilcal cord is clamped and cut and the placenta is delivered, inspected for any abnormalities and discarded. Cord blood is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord and bplacenta after the baby is born. Stem cells are found in the cord blood and hold great promise in the fight against certain diseases. This is because stem cells are able to regenerate into other types of cells.

Doctors describe the use of cord blood as a clinically acceptable alternative to bone marrow transplantation. In the past, patients that needed a transplant had to have a donor that was a match. It is extremely hard to find an exact match and is sometimes impossible to find. Donated or stored umbilical cord blood provides protection to not only strangers in need of a transplant, but the donor's family as well. Umbilical cord blood is harvested and stored for future use in combating very serious diseases. Often times, the diseases are genetic diseases of the blood-such as bone marrow related anemia or chemotherapy resistant cancer. Cord blood transplants are less expensive than bone marrow transplants and have less risks involved.

There is no risk to collecting the the cord blood. Whether a woman has a vaginal or cesarean delivery, a medical professional will collect the appropriate amount of cord blood after the umbilical cord has been clamped. Because the cord is clamped, there is no pain to mother or baby.

Many people wonder how long the umbilical cord stem cells are good for. Of course, the most successful transplants are freshly stored samples; however, studies have shown that cord blood that has been stored for up to ten years is still good. Because this is still fairly new technology and shelf life storage of the cord blood is ongoing, scientists do not yet have results as to the effectiveness in complete marrow reconstruction after prolonged storage.

Although the medical field is very optimistic about offering patients new life who previosuly had limited options before this technology, some parents are facing ethical challenges with this new technology. In the past, storing and donating your child's umbilcal cord blood had been overlooked.

The goal is to hopefully never have to use the stored or donated cord blood. Most families will never need the blood that was stored or donated. However, it is available if it is ever needed by you, your baby, another member of your family or perhaps, a total stranger. If by chance, a woman finds out that there is a problem before the baby is born, the umbilical cord blood could be a lifesaver for her or her unborn baby. Conditions such as sickle cell anemia, leukemia, aplastic anemia and other metabolic genetic disorders fall into this category.

If you choose to donate your baby's blood, the identity of the donor and receiver is always kept confidential. Because more families are donating their baby's umbilical cord blood, there is a larger amount of available supplies for those in need.

The issues of storing and donating umbilical cord blood are complex and should be discussed prior to delivery. Talk with your family and your practitioner about the pros and cons. Ask questions and gather as much information as you possibly can.