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Cord Blood Banking: Should You Bank Your Baby's Cord Blood? |
By:
Alvin Toh |
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Cord Blood Banking: Should You Bank Your Baby's Cord Blood?
Alvin Toh
Collecting and storing cord blood is a rather new concept. Nevertheless, many parents have seriously considered cord blood banking as they become aware of the substantial health benefits.
Cord blood is the remaining blood in the umbilical cord once the baby has been delivered. Normally, cord blood is disposed off with placenta and umbilical cord after birth. Stem cells in cord blood is extremely useful as they are not as controversial as stem cells from embryos. Cord blood stem cells have wider uses than stem cells taken from bone marrow.
Cord blood stem cells can develop into various types of cells such as muscle, nerve or blood cells. Since these cells can regenerate immune system and repair damaged cells, they have the potential to treat heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson disease.
Many doctors are realizing how beneficial cord blood is. Currently cord blood is used to treat over 75 medical conditions, this list is growing every day. It can even be used to treat certain types of cancer, blood and auto-immune diseases. Cord blood is suitable for use by the whole family, not just the child it was taken from.
Recently there have been a number of substantial breakthroughs in stem cell research. Scientists were able to created bone and cartilage, grow liver and lung cells from cord blood stem cells. Eventually these cells could potentially be placed into the human body to repair any damaged organ, hence overcoming the short supply of organ donors. It is possible that these cells will be able to be grown up into organs without having to first implant them into the human body, this could potentially save thousands of lives all around the world. This organ is produced from your own tissue, which means the body will not see it as a foreign body and therefore it has less chance of the body rejecting the organ.
You can choose to store cord blood in private or public cord blood banks. If you want to keep the blood so that it can only be used for your family's own use then you should consider using a private cord blood bank. Private cord blood banks are expensive as you have to pay a fee to collect the blood and a yearly fee to store it. If you are from ethnic minorities, you are encouraged to bank your baby's cord blood privately as it can be difficult to find a bone marrow match. If there's a family history of diseases that can be treated with cord blood, you should consider storing your baby's cord blood in a private bank.
Cord blood stored in a public bank can be used by anyone who needs it.
If you decide to bank your newborn's cord blood, you will need to choose a cord blood bank ahead of the birth, typically at least a month or two before the due date. Once you fill out the paperwork and inform your doctor and hospital about the decision. Many hospitals are not equipped to handle this immediate cord blood collection at the birth and special arrangements may need to be made. The cord blood will be collected and returned to the bank of your choice to be stored for later use if needed.
http://www.storingcordblood.com/uaw-1) Cord blood banking is a protection against diseases and conditions in the future. There have been numerous http://www.storingcordblood.com/uaw-1) cord blood stem cell advancement in recent years. Learn more on how cord blood saves lives by visiting www.storingcordblood.com/home
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Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article67127.html |
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