Choosing the Right Cord Blood Bank

A Cord Blood bank can be both a private and public institution that stores umbilical Cord Blood for future use to combat diseases and genetic disorders. These banks were developed in the mid 1990’s as result of the success in treating blood diseases and immune system disorders with the use of Cord Blood transplants. Once seen as medical waste to be discarded after the birth of a child, the cord blood from the placenta is now seen as a precious resource of Stem Cells.

Public cord blood banks accept all types of donations and is used by anyone who is in need. With this being said, there are still very strict regulations that public cord blood banks need to follow to make sure the donated cord blood units are correctly added to the registry. Usually, a expecting mother who is interested in donating should contact the blood bank prior to the 34th week of pregnancy. A great resource to find a list of public cord blood banks is the National Marrow Donor Program. It must be noted that once the cord blood is donated, it will lose all the information identifying it due to the testing procedures it will have to go through, so the donating family will not be able to retrieve their own blood for their own use later.

Private cord blood banks are not strongly supported by the medical community unless there is a history of genetic diseases in the family. You should consult with your doctor to find the best private cord blood banks for your situation.

Both public and private cord blood banks offer free donation programs to store the cord blood of babies of families that have a condition that can be treated with the Stem Cells found in the cord blood.