As awareness continues to grow around the medical uses for cord blood, the result of confusion over whether to choose an institution private banking, or opt for the gift of the public in due course. Should we store for our own family use or a gift?
While it is already used in a significant number of medical treatments, the practice of collecting and storing umbilical cord blood after birth is still a relatively new procedure. First used in 1988 to successfully treat a patient suffering from anemia in France, the number of medical uses be found for stem cells continues to grow as medical science evolves.
Private Banking
- The blood is stored private family use and can be recovered if / when necessary.
- Blood can be stored at a facility your choice.
- There are initial costs for the collection and processing as well as annual costs for storage.
Defenders bank public often cite current statistics that highlight the improbability of a child never use their own stored blood, and they are unlikely not to be treated with their own blood stored in case of illness where it probably exerts the same genetic defect. It is a legitimate view, but for those not influenced by the cost of private storage, even a "one chance in 500" can not be dismissed if the value ultimately about the life of a child or family member. These figures do not include possible uses that have not yet been discovered, thus, each of which would increase the probability of using private cord blood stored.
This does not mean that private storage of cord Blood is a better option than the gift, just as its benefits for the family is not as improbable as some might say.
Public Bank:
- Blood is given for public use and can not normally be recovered by the donor's family.
- There is no fee to donate (Most practitioners will provide delivery service free collection).
Public programs accept cord blood donations on behalf of the public for use in various treatments and the search continues. Their advantage is widely accepted in the international medical community and the United States, even the Congress recently adopted national legislation to encourage their use and broaden the means to do so.
If a parent giving their child blood umbilical cord is unlikely to find this same blood back in case of medical necessity for transfusion arise in the future, as the number of public donations continues to increase, the probability of those who need to find a compatible donor.
With just a chance to recover, if you store the blood from your child's umbilical cord with a private bank or donate cord for a public use is ultimately a personal decision that only you can do.
For more information on both private cord banking and donating cord blood, visit http://www.cordbankings.com
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