What’s the Deal with Cord Blood Banking (and Should You Do It)?
Ever since you found out that you were pregnant, you’ve had a bajillion decisions to make. (What stroller should I register for? Should I find out the gender? Do I want a doula in the delivery room?) But one thing you probably haven’t given too much thought is what to do with your baby’s cord blood. Confused? Read on.
Why should I care about my baby’s cord? “Cord blood is the blood from the baby that is left in the umbilical cord and placenta after birth. It contains special cells called hematopoietic stem cells that can be used to treat some types of diseases,” says the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. These cells can be used to treat more than 70 types of diseases, including sickle cell disease and some forms of cancer like leukemia and lymphoma. By banking (i.e., storing) your baby’s cord blood, you could potentially be saving someone’s life, including your own child (or another member of your family) if he or she has one of these diseases in the future.
How is the blood collected? The process is completely safe and not felt by either mom or baby, since cord blood is retrieved from the umbilical cord after it has been cut (usually by using a syringe). It only takes a few minutes and can be done with both vaginal and cesarean deliveries. Then the cord blood is frozen and stored in either a public or private bank.
What’s the difference between going public and private? Public banks are for donated cord blood (i.e., the stem cells in the donated cord blood can be used by anyone who matches, as well as for research purposes), so there are no collection or storage fees. But this means that there’s no guarantee that it will be available if and when your family needs it. If you want to store your baby’s cord blood in a private bank (ensuring that your family will be able to access it if necessary), then it can get pretty costly. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, private cord blood banks charge an initial fee of $1,350 to $2,300 and an annual maintenance fee of $100 to $175.
Got it. And are there any other downsides? In addition to the potential high costs, there’s also the possibility that you may never actually use the stored cord blood—either because your family won’t need it or it won’t be beneficial (if someone has a disease caused by a genetic mutation, then the stored blood can’t be used since it would also be in the stem cells). According to the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, the chance of a baby later benefiting from his or her own banked cord blood is currently less than 0.04 percent. Then there’s the matter of time—since cord blood banking has only been around for about 30 years, researchers don’t actually know exactly how long stored blood can be used (but they’ve successfully utilized cells that were stored for 23 years).
So, should I do it? The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists doesn’t recommend routine cord blood storage, saying that private banks should only be used when there’s a sibling with a medical condition who could benefit from the stem cells. But the organization does encourage families to donate stem cells to a public bank in order to help others. If you’re considering storing your baby’s cord blood, make sure to discuss it with your doctor well before giving birth (not all hospitals will do it) and to use a cord blood bank that’s accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB).
RELATED: There’s a Growing Debate About When to Cut Umbilical Cords. Here’s Everything To Know
