The Complete Guide To Cord Blood Banking: Pros, Cons, Costs And Basics

Banking a child' s cord blood has become an increasingly popular practice over the past two decades, giving families access to life-saving treatments later on in life. A variety of family banks across the world offer cord blood banking services for a reasonable fee. The stem cells stored can be used in the future for emerging treatments for the family. Public banks offer a similar service for free, but this doesn't always mean that one will have access to their baby's stem cells in future.

What Is Cord Blood Banking?

Cord blood banking is a practice that involves preservation of a newborn's stem cells found in the placenta and umbilical cord. There is a certain amount of blood with valuable stem cells that remain in the placenta and umbilical cord when a baby is born, even in cases of delayed cord clamping.

The umbilical cord and placenta are rich sources of newborn stem cells. The stem cells found in the placenta and cord tissue are mesenchymal while those in the cord blood itself are hematopoietic. New parents have the option of dispensing that blood, preserving it with either a family bank or donating it to a public bank. The whole process of collecting the cord blood and storing it for future medical purposes is what is known as cord blood banking.