Cord blood banking has become an increasingly discussed topic among the expectant parents. Blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord is termed as cord blood or CB. Why save baby cord blood? Since this blood is rich in stem cells, it can be used for life-saving transplants and regenerative medicine research. Cord blood was used for the first time in 1988, in order to cure Fanconi Anemia. And from that time onwards, there was no looking back as several breakthroughs happened in the field of stem cell research. Currently cord blood is used to treat more than 80 life threatening conditions which include but are not limited to blood disorders, metabolic disorders, immunodeficiencies and certain types of cancer. On the other hand, the medical applications of umbilical cord tissue are yet to be discovered. Several clinical trials are underway exploring the potential applications and benefits of umbilical cord tissue.
Expectant parents who wish to insure the health of their baby opt for private cord blood banking services. If you are contemplating with the idea of banking your new-born’s cord blood, then there are a few things you need to bear in mind. Banking your baby’s cord blood in a family cord blood bank is going to cost you a pretty penny. And that is why it is essential to research about various private cord blood banking prices. Planning ahead and conducting detailed research can help you choose a reputed family cord blood bank. Enquiring about the accreditation, facilities and banking costs of the bank is important. If the private cord blood banking prices are out of your budget range, then you think about donating your new-born’s CB to a public bank. Donations to a public cord blood bank are used for life-saving stem cell transplants and medical research purposes. Either way, you are making a valuable contribution to the mankind.
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