Cord Blood Banking

When a woman is pregnant, she may be told about saving her baby cord blood. A mother may also be given literature about why she should save cord blood. A woman might not know what saving cord blood is and have a lot of questions regarding what it is. Many people these days are having a facility store their baby's umbilical cord blood just in case something happens in the future. Here is more information on the advantages of saving the umbilical cord blood after a baby is born.

The first benefit of cord blood banking is that it can be easily stored for later use. The cordblood contains stem cells, which can be used to treat a number of different diseases. Many parents look into how to save their baby cord blood, especially if there is a family history of certain conditions.

Another benefit of banking baby cord blood is that it can be used for other members of the family like siblings. Remember, the baby has a genetic link to members of his or her own family, but most especially to the siblings. If something happens to the sibling, and they need something like bone marrow, there is nothing easier to use than cordblood rather than go through the long process of having to find matches with donors. Family members are always the best match for other sick relatives, and with the storing of baby cord blood, that relative can begin treatment right away for whatever condition they have.

Sometimes when people have to go through a transplant, there can be a problem with the immune system of the donor clashing with the immune system of the recipient. The host's immune cells can attack the recipient's body tissue causing that person to become very sick. GvD stands for graft vs. host disease, and with the use of stem cells from cordblood lessens the chance of this attacking of the recipient's body because they are from the same genetic line. The chances for a more successful transplant are higher if cordblood stem cells are used.