Cord Blood Banks: What Are They?

2007-03-08 10:33:40

( Pharmeceutical-Medical )



The blood present in the umbilical cord and the placenta upon birth has large numbers of blood-forming cells that can help treat a lot of life-threatening diseases. Blood-forming cells often come from a bone marrow donation or a cord blood donation. A large percentage of patients are unable to find a suitable bone marrow match within their family. There is more chance of finding a match through cord blood donations.

If you are an expecting mother and you want to make a cord blood donation, you have to do so by your 34th week of pregnancy. You need to consult with your physician and inform them that you are interested in donating your infant’s cord blood. Your physician will then check if you are eligible to make a donation.

Cord blood banks are still not widely available and not all hospitals are equipped to handle cord blood donations. You need to check with your local health offices or your doctor to locate one of the cord blood banks nearest you.

Donating cord blood to cord blood banks will not cost you anything. The processing and storage costs are taken care of by the blood banks. However, if you wish to collect cord blood for your family’s use, the blood bank usually charges a fee for processing and storage.

When your baby is born, the small amount of blood in the placenta and the umbilical cord is then sent to cord blood banks for testing. The specimen must be large enough and should be free of infections or other possible health problems. Your local physician will also check your personal and family health history. If the specimen meets the standards, the cord blood is then frozen, stored and entered into the registry. The cord blood is then available to patients worldwide who are in need of a match for a transplant.


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