If you are a parent, or are expecting, chances are you’ve probably heard
about the controversial subject of cord blood banking. This is when you have
some blood saved from your baby’s umbilical cord after birth. The reason for
this is that if your child gets sick or needs a bone marrow transplant, you
will have this blood available. If this could save your child’s life, then
why isn’t it more popular? The answer to this could be the cost of cord blood
banking or it could be the facts surrounding this procedure.
There are many companies in the United States that deal with cord blood
banking, the most well known among these being ViaCord and Cord Blood
Registry. If you’re planning on storing your child’s cord blood with one of
these companies, you may need to save some money first. ViaCord charges
$1,500 to collect the cord blood and then you will need to pay $95 every year
for them to store it. Because they can store it for up to 21 years, it would
cost you $3,500. ViaCord’s direct competitor Cord Blood Registry, is a little
cheaper to collect the blood, charging $1,290. The same $95 annual fee is
charged through Cord Blood Registry.
So after seeing those monetary figures, have your thoughts changed? Let’s now
look at some of the facts about the procedure of cord blood banking. If you
decide that this sounds like something you’d like to do, how likely is it
that you’ll ever need your child’s cord blood? Approximately 1 out of every
2,700 people who bank their child’s blood will ever use it. Something to keep
in mind about that statistic, however, is that if your child had their cord
blood in the bank, doctors would be much more likely to use that before
administering blood from a donor. Even if the blood was taken from a sibling,
there is only a 25% chance that it would be a match. Another positive to cord
blood banking is that it is always available when you need it.
So who should consider banking their child’s cord blood? Everyone has the
option, however children with higher risks of having a condition needing
medical treatment may benefit from this procedure the most. Having stem cells
on hand can be a huge plus if your child has a higher than average risk of
contracting sickle cell anemia, leukemia, aplastic anemia or thalassemia. It
would also be necessary to have if your child is ever in need of a stem cell
transplant, has metabolic storage disorders or immunodeficiencies.
If your baby does have a high risk of having a disease or some other medical
condition similar to the ones previously named, you should definitely ask
your child’s pediatrician for their advice on the subject. So what if you
decide this is something your child needs but you simply can’t afford it?
Well, don’t give up hope yet. There is a place called the Children’s Hospital
of Oakland and they have what is called the Sibling Donor Cord Program. This
program allows you to store your child’s cord blood for free, assuming that
you meet their eligibility requirements. The Children’s Hospital of Oakland
will assist you if your child has a transplantable condition, has a prenatal
diagnosis of a transplantable condition or if your unborn baby has a high
risk of needing a transplant of some kind.
One option you have when it comes to Cord Blood Banking is donating your
child’s cord blood. You can do this if you live near one of the National
Marrow Donor Program Cord Blood Banks in 14 states in North America, which
include Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois,
Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania
and Washington. The stems cells located in your child’s cord blood could then
be used to save the lives of unrelated children who may need a transplant of
some kind. If you decide Cord Blood Banking is not something you would like
to do, then maybe you could consider donating your baby’s cord blood to
benefit others. Keep in mind, there is no cost for you to donate and donating
poses no risk to your child.
My name is Jimmy Cloward and I am a freelance writer based in Rolla, Missouri. I have written for numerous websites and local newspapers.
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