Many parents choose to bank cord blood from their newborn child to try to
protect their future health. This practice is becoming more and more
popular, especially in recent years, as the baby’s umbilical cord blood
contains stem cells, which have been a recent focus of the news media. Stem
cells are cells that lack any predestination, meaning they can be used for
anything. A stem cell can become a nerve cell, blood cell, bone cell, or
anything in between. Instead of discarded cord blood in the delivery room,
as was practiced in the past, many parents now make the investment to bank
cord blood for the future. As an alternative to storing your child’s cord
blood, many parents also choose to donate the cord blood to a cord blood
registry or for research purposes in an effort to cure diseases and better
understand the workings of the human body.
When making the decision to bank cord blood, consider weighing the following
pros and cons provided by the informative Web site http://www.bankcordblood.info
in order to make a clear, well-informed choice:
Pros:
Donation Solutions: In the event of your child—or any other children you
may currently have or will have in the future—needs a transplant, the cord
blood will be well within your reach. This is especially important for
children of some races, as finding a proper match can be more difficult and
depend greatly upon location. Furthermore, matches for critical aspects like
bone marrow are a great deal more difficult without having cord blood on
hand.
Treatment Possibilities: Hopefully, this will not be of concern for any of
your children, but banking cord blood can widen the treatment possibilities
when dealing with many diseases. To date, cord blood is used to treat over
45 diseases and disorders, including leukemia, sickle cell anemia, and
metabolic disorders. This is especially critical if you have any family
history of such diseases or disorder, since many of these medical issues are
genetic and can potentially be passed to the next generation.
Compatibility: Since the banked cord blood comes directly from the infant
and is comprised of very early stem cells, the risk of incompatibility
diminishes. In many instances, cord blood donations from family members can
be denied by the body, creating a condition known as graft vs. host disease.
Fortunately, with your own banked cord blood, this is generally not a
problem.
Cons:
Price: By far, the most constrictive aspect of banking your child’s cord
blood is the price. However, many companies offer free storage or storage at
a reduced rate for cases deemed “at need.” This is usually cases
regarding children that are known to be suffering from some type of disease
or disorder before birth, or who have a significant chance of developing an
issue due to family history. Before you balk at banking your child’s cord
blood, consider the insurance factor for the future. Just like a traditional
insurance plan, banking cord blood serves as a backup in case the worst
happens.
Need: Fortunately, the need for cord blood is not great and your child—or
other children—will hopefully never need a transplant with this lifesaving
blood. Generally speaking, approximately one in 20,000 families that bank
cord blood actually use the blood at some date. However, just like any other
insurance policy, the cord blood is there if it is needed.
Size: With today’s technology, the cord blood cells can only be used for
an individual under about 115 pounds. This includes most children and some
smaller adults; however, the success rate with larger adults over this 115
pound mark is minimal. Keep in mind, technology is still advancing, so there
is a chance that these problems will be solved in case the cord blood is
needed in the future.
