July Named Cord Blood Month—Know More About Cord Blood

July is declared the Cord Blood Awareness Month in the US. Most people are not yet familiar with the term and the usages of cord blood.

Cord Blood is that blood presents in the umbilical cord and fetus of a newborn infant and thence its name. Cord blood is rich in stem cells and today it is collected and cord blood donations are becoming popular.  Such stem cells help in healing after serious illnesses like cancer. Adults have stem cells in their bodies but it is younger cells that help in healing and cord blood cells are found to be the best, especially after chemotherapies.

The drawback to stem cell transplantation is acceptance of the cells by the donor. If the stem cells are close to the ones produced in the bodies of the done, the better the chances of success.  Given this, it is only natural that one should bank his own cord blood and several companies operate, collecting and storing the cord blood for a nominal fee. If you donate cord blood cells and then buy them from the open market, matching will be a problem and cord blood cost could be very high, in the region of $ 15000 and above. Companies in the business of cord blood donation and preservation claim to perform a vital function of storing the cells on your behalf for your future use should a need arise. These are fundamentally vital in instances like cancer, heart attack, burns, diabetes, etc. where stem cells from cord blood transplant works wonders.

Some parents opt to have cord blood stored and banked for future use by the child when he does need them. Some parents decide on cord blood donations. Today, it is compulsory in a number of states for doctors to give full information to expectant women about cord blood storage options.

Today, cord blood collection, retrieval and storage techniques have improved a lot and 30 years down the line, the potential user can still find his cells usable in case of emergency.

Science and especially genetics, is progressing fast and storing your child’s cord blood may be one of the best gifts you can give him for life through a cord blood transplant when needed in future.