Cord Blood Storage: Should You Do It?

Cord Blood Storage: Should You Do It?

Cord blood storage is a controversial topic with intelligent, informed opponents on both sides of the debate. This debate makes it very difficult for parents to make an informed decision regarding their own baby’s cord blood. Should you store your baby’s cord blood as a protection against future diseases, or is the process overly encouraged by medical researchers and the media?

While no one can tell you to invest in cord blood storage or not to, you owe it to yourself to know all the facts before you pass on the opportunity. Here are some key facts that will help you make an informed decision:

• Thousands upon thousands of stem cell transplants are performed each year on patients using their own cord blood. Diseases treated with cord blood include many types of cancers including leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and tumors. Thousands more transplants are performed on family members using a relative’s cord blood.

• There is a 1 in 435 chance that your baby will need his or her own cord blood within his/her lifetime. There is a 1 in 400 chance that a family member will benefit from a relative’s cord blood storage. Keep in mind that this is the current likelihood. As more research is performed, more uses for stem cells will be developed.

• One in 630 children will develop cancer before they reach the age of fifteen.

• New studies have shown a wide range of use for cord blood and stem cells. In fact, many researchers believe that stem cells can be used to reverse brain damage sustained in a stroke or traumatic accident.

If there are so many advantages associated with cord blood storage, why aren’t more people doing it? There simply are not enough public banks to accept donations and private banks have a cost. Cord blood storage involves long-term cold storage, and there aren’t enough facilities offering this type of storage to accommodate all cord blood banking requests. In fact, only 30% of cord blood that qualifies for banking actually gets banked due to limited space and resources.

At the end of the day, you owe it to yourself to investigate all of the facts and opportunities available to you regarding cord blood storage. Research cord blood banks and make an informed decision after all of the facts are in.