Umbilical cord blood banking is another choice that expectant parents need to make prior to the birth of their baby. It is an important decision that should not be taken lightly. The ultimate decision to bank cord stem cells or not is a personal decision as to what is deemed appropriate for that particular family, but in making that decision it is prudent to educate oneself on what banking blood from the umbilical cord is as well as weighing the pros and cons.
Cord blood banking is simply storage or preservation of stem cells. To obtain these stem cells, your doctor would extract blood from the umbilical cord when your baby is born. This blood would be sent to the company that you will have previously chosen for services. There, the stem cells will be extracted from the blood and preserved specifically for your family's future use.
Why would someone opt for cord blood preservation? Well, research is continually being conducted and cells extracted from this blood has already been used to treat and cure injuries and diseases. Examples of cases where cord stem cells have been used successfully are treatments for leukemia, lymphomas, brain injuries, brain tumors and other cancers. This is a small list as there are nearly 70 diseases where stem cells have been used for treatment. The full potential uses are unknown as the list of successful treatments continues to grow.
Given the promising outlook, the next question that naturally comes to mind is "Why would someone choose not to participate in cord blood stem cell banking?"
That is a difficult question to answer as each individual has to take into consideration their specific circumstances and beliefs. The main con to opting to save blood from the cord is the cost. Another consideration is your personal beliefs and whether using stem cells falls within what an individual personally believes is acceptable.
The average initial cost of enrollment for the reputable companies range from $1600 to $2100. This pricing includes the kit to use for collection, the shipping costs to transport the blood to the company's facilities, the services of processing the cord blood and extracting the stem cells, and the first year storage fees. In addition, there are annual fees for storage that typically average about $125.
All expectant parents need to make an informed decision as to what is right for them. The costs as well as the benefits it can provide regarding your family's future health are only a couple of points that should factor in on a decision.
For additional information on umbilical cord blood banking and the storage of cord blood stem cells, visit http://www.umbilicalcordbloodbanking.net
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