Any US woman starts receiving pamphlets and fliers about storing the umbilical cord blood of the child when she is barely three months pregnant. Public awareness in this regard has reached a level mature enough to make many of the parents understand the importance of storing or donating the cord blood of their newborn. Their decision matters because the cord blood stem cells hold the potential to act as a hedge against illnesses such as certain cancers among others.
There still remains a vast majority of parents who don’t do anything and the cord blood stem cells go waste. Rest of them become caught up in the debate whether they should go for private cord blood storage firms or donate the same to public registries. The options for public banking, however, are rare and even when the donations are made; half of the samples go waste because of insufficient amount of stem cells presence. The cord blood companies present themselves as an additional option in the face of an uncertain future. They help the families make an important and informed decision.
The cord blood collected is a rich source of stem cells, which is unique for the newborn baby and his or her family. You can call the stem cells as the master cells of the body, which can turn themselves into any kind of human cell or tissue. The private cord blood banks store and preserve the cord blood so that the same can be used at a later date for the child or any other family member. The family members may, however, choose to donate the cord blood to any public bank where it will be available for use by general public. The popularity of private banks is increasing day by day among the people though the medical community seems to be more in support of the public cord blood banks.
The stem cells are used to boost the immune system and regenerate blood in the body. Availability of stem cells is especially useful for patients who have undergone chemotherapy as the process and the medicines kill the stem cells in the bone marrow along with the targeted cancer cells. The stem cells present in the cord blood make their way to the bone marrow of the patient where they create new blood cells. Also, private stem cell banking is especially recommended when there is a family history of certain genetic disorders.
