Umbilical cord blood is the blood which remains in the umbilical cord even after the baby has been born. Just like normal blood, its components include platelets, red blood cells, white blood cells and plasma. To add to these, cord blood has a rich supply of stem cells which can potentially save the baby’s life. These cells have already been used to treat thousands of patients suffering from diseases such as leukemia. It is for this reason that cord blood banking is highly encouraged by doctors.
The available options for cord blood banking are donation and private banking. In private cord blood banking, the mother acquires unit of stem cells that genetically matches their baby. This is done in case a transplant with the stem cell unit becomes necessary in future. In addition, the unit might be a match for any one of the close family members to the baby, a huge benefit considering a third of patients seeking stem cell transplants fail to get suitable donors. This form of cord blood banking is highly recommended by doctors since a stem cell unit from a family member increases the chances of survival of the patient compared to one from an unrelated donor.
The available options for cord blood banking are donation and private banking. In private cord blood banking, the mother acquires unit of stem cells that genetically matches their baby. This is done in case a transplant with the stem cell unit becomes necessary in future. In addition, the unit might be a match for any one of the close family members to the baby, a huge benefit considering a third of patients seeking stem cell transplants fail to get suitable donors. This form of cord blood banking is highly recommended by doctors since a stem cell unit from a family member increases the chances of survival of the patient compared to one from an unrelated donor.