Benefits of cord blood

Many new mothers are banking umbilical cord blood as insurance for the health and safety of their newborn's life. Cord blood has found medical acceptance in the quest to treat leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and other potentially fatal conditions. Unlike other invaluable sources of stem cells, cord blood collection carries neither the controversy attached to collecting fetal stem cells or the problems of rejection associated from cells taken from bone marrow. Cord blood preservation may save the life of your newborn child and others in your family who face a life-threatening disease.

Collecting Cord Blood is Simple and Painless

Your baby's cord blood remains in the umbilical cord and placenta following birth and is routinely discarded. But if collected within 15 minutes following birth and preserved by a certified cord blood registry, your cord blood stem cells become an invaluable biological resource for treating diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and diabetes. Typically expectant mothers will register with a cord blood bank before delivery so that the bank can inform the doctor of the procedure and submit collection bags and other supplies. Cord blood is drawn by syringe from the umbilical cord after delivery and placed in a cryogenic-safe collection bag. The cord blood bank dispatches a courier that returns your sample to the lab.

Cells When You Need Them

Immune cells found in umbilical cord blood are more likely to match relatives' tissue than cells from bone marrow transplants. Research shows that stem cell transplants from family members can double their chances of survival. The current demand for matching donors is high, and time can be critical. Cord blood preservation means you'll have cells when you need them.