Cord Blood Retrieval
Baby’s First Gift
A new baby is a gift — a bundle of joy filled with promise and innocence. But even on the day your baby is brought into the world, he or she won’t be too young to give their first gift: a donation of umbilical cord blood.
WHAT IS UMBILICAL CORD BLOOD?
During pregnancy, the placenta and blood within it (cord blood) serve
as the lifeline of nourishment from mother to baby through the umbilical
cord.
Following the birth, the umbilical cord, placenta and blood contained within are usually discarded; however, umbilical cord blood is rich in hematopoietic stem cells, the same cells found in bone marrow. Children and adults with leukemia, metabolic disorders, immune deficiencies, bone marrow failure disorders or genetic disorders may require a stem cell transplant as part of their treatment.
WHY DONATE UMBILICAL CORD BLOOD?
Currently only 50 percent of children and adults in need of a stem cell
transplant will be able to find a matched, unrelated donor through bone
marrow registries. Current bone marrow registries involve keeping a computerized
listing of volunteer donors. The average search time is three to four
months and is extremely expensive. Because immune types are specific to
an ethnic group and bone marrow registry volunteers are predominately
Caucasian, it is difficult to locate donors for non-Caucasian (African-Americans,
Hispanic, Native American) patients. Cord blood that has been immunologically
typed and frozen offers an opportunity as an alternate transplant source.
By collecting umbilical cord blood from different ethnic backgrounds,
a larger number of patients will benefit.
Donating cord blood is simple. Because collection of the cord blood takes place after the baby has been delivered, there is no danger to either the mother or baby. While waiting for the placenta to deliver, your physician or midwife will do the umbilical cord blood collection. The entire procedure is non-invasive, painless and does not interfere with the birthing process.
When a donation is made to a public cord blood bank, the umbilical cord blood undergoes extensive testing, and if it meets the criteria for banking, it is typed, frozen and stored until needed. It can be shipped and used at a time that is optimal for the patient. There are no costs involved in donating cord blood to a public bank. The blood is available worldwide to patients in need of a stem cell transplant. There are only 15 such public facilities across the nation, so not all areas have access to donate cord blood.
Private cord blood banks are available for parents who wish to store their child’s cord blood for personal use. The cost for private storage ranges from $300 to $2000 upfront plus a yearly storage fee of $50 to $100. The blood is stored for family use and no one can access the blood except the parent or child at the age of consent. Cord blood has been safely stored and remains viable up to 15 years.