Cord Blood Banking
Facts, Fiction & FAQs
Cord blood banking, or cord blood donation, is a complex area in which many future parents are not fully informed so that they can make an educated decision on whether to privately or publically bank their newborn's umbilical cord blood, or whether to forgoe the process entirely. Not only must personal and financial aspects be considered, but many moral and ethical elements also factor into the decision.
I am in no way affiliated with any cord blood banking facility, company or other party which has a financial interest in cord blook banking, either publically or privately. After careful consideration of the research, my huband and I decided this procedure was not in our family's best interest. You may learn more about our family decision against storing cord blood here.
How is the Cord Blood Collection Procedure Performed?
What is the Cord Blood Preservation Process?
How Often is a Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplant Needed?
What is the Cord Blood Storage Life Expectancy?
What is the Cost of Cord Blood Banking?
References
Late vs early clamping of the umbilical cord in full-term neonates: systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials. Hutton EK, Hassan ES. JAMA. 2007 Mar 21;297(11):1241-52.
The effect of timing of cord clamping on neonatal venous hematocrit values and clinical outcome at term: a randomized, controlled trial. [Full text] Ceriani Cernadas JM, Carroli G, Pellegrini L, Otano L, Ferreira M, Ricci C, Casas O, Giordano D, Lardizabal J. Pediatrics. 2006 Apr;117(4):e779-86.
Cairo, Mitchell S. and John E. Wagner, "Placental and/or Umbilical Cord Blood: An Alternative Source of Hematopoietic Stem Cells for Transplantation," The Journal of The American Society of Hematology 90:4665-4678 (1997)
Kline, Ronald M., "Whose Blood is it, Anyway?", Scientific American 284: 42-49 (April 2001)
Kline, Ronald M., and Salvatore Bertolone, "Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation: Providing a Donor for Everyone Needing a Bone Marrow Transplant?", Southern Medical Journal 91: 821-827 (1999)
http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr02-01-08-2.cfm
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;119/1/165#SEC2
Giving Birth Naturally: Cord Blood Banking
