Many soon to be parents decide that cord blood banking is the right choice for them. It provides their child with a future lifeline to treat medical conditions that hopefully will not occur but realistically sometimes do occur. That is their first step in the right direction. The consequent dilemma which these parents face is that of sourcing and selecting a service provider in line with their budget and expectations.
Firstly, assurance must be given to the expectant parents that once their Baby’s cord blood has been collected at birth, it will only be theirs. In future if their baby, child or adult requires stem cell treatments, then the stem cells will be readily available for medical use. Under such circumstances, they would quite rightfully expect to recoup just return on their investment
Stem cell banking may be used in the future to additionally treat diabetes, heart attacks and strokes. Currently, it can treat more than 75 diseases, immune deficiencies and other conditions. It is effective for treatment of certain types of cancer, blood disorders and auto-immune diseases. The cord blood can be used not only by your child, but also other family members. Stem cells transplantation can come from your own body (an autologous transplant) or more commonly from a donor (an allogeneic transplant).
In recent stem cell breakthroughs, researchers were able to develop bone and cartilage, and grow mini liver and lung cells from cord blood stem cells. These baby cells can potentially be transplanted into the body to repair damaged organs, thus overcoming the severe shortages of organ donors. Researches are hopeful that cord blood stem cell transplant can regenerate into organs inside or outside the body and saves many lives. There is less chance of the body rejecting the new organ regenerated from your own cord blood.
There are also some practicalities that need addressing. Expectant parents should be sure that they are totally aware of the pricing structure of their service provider, just as they would if they were buying a car or a house. Many reputable cord blood banks charge one off payments for the initial processing and then have scales of charges for subsequent storage. Costs for the retrieval of cord blood cells for use on the patient by medical professionals can vary.
Medical practitioners advise yet-to-be parents to plan for cord blood stem cell banking as early as the fourth month of the pregnancy. The procedure of collecting cord blood is simple and painless for both the expectant mother and the infant and there are no health risks involved. To protect your child, every expectant parent should opt for cord blood banking.
