Author Topic: CORD BLOOD BANKING  (Read 2462 times)

m1234

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CORD BLOOD BANKING
« on: August 01, 2017, 08:20:52 PM »
My husband and I are expecting our first in the next few weeks and have yet to make a decision as to whether or not to invest in cord blood banking.  Total cost is $3k for 20 years of storage; flat fee or $125 per month for 2 years.  We're fortunate in that our baby is healthy, with no expected disorders, etc.; however, I'm almost sold on the fact that the stem cells can be used for any additional children we may have, ourselves, and of course, medical advancements that will be made in the next 20 years....thoughts??

ixtap

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Re: CORD BLOOD BANKING
« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2017, 08:31:41 PM »
Donate, instead. That way we are more likely to achieve the medical advances that you are hoping for, without spending the exorbitant fees.

milliemchi

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Re: CORD BLOOD BANKING
« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2017, 10:08:05 PM »
We selfishly paid for storage. The way things are going, we won't need even need newborn stem cells because other tissues can be used to create them, but who knows? That wasn't an option when my first was born (mid-00s) so we stored, and did the same later for second child. I was sold when it was demonstrated that stem cells help heal cardiac tissue after a heart attack - anybody may need that. Who knows what uses they may have one day?

MommyCake

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Re: CORD BLOOD BANKING
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2017, 05:19:44 AM »
I'm not sold on the idea.  I'm sure it has it's benefits, but I do not know a single person who has ever needed to use the cord blood.  I didn't do on my first baby, and I'm not doing it for the one I'm currently expecting.  I just can't envision a medical scenario in which the doctor says, well there's nothing we can do, unless you have cord blood.....

SimpleCycle

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Re: CORD BLOOD BANKING
« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2017, 05:28:08 AM »
We did not do it for either of our children.  I felt like the marketing played on parental anxiety and guilt, and it was a lot of money with only nebulous benefits.

slappy

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Re: CORD BLOOD BANKING
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2017, 05:54:11 AM »
We did not do it for either of our children.  I felt like the marketing played on parental anxiety and guilt, and it was a lot of money with only nebulous benefits.

This.

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Re: CORD BLOOD BANKING
« Reply #6 on: August 02, 2017, 06:27:44 AM »
Donate instead if you can.

I personally believe private banking only exists to prey on the fears of expecting/new parents. If everyone donated, we wouldn't even need private banking. The chance of being able to use your privately banked cells is minimal (thank goodness!)

CindyBS

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Re: CORD BLOOD BANKING
« Reply #7 on: August 02, 2017, 09:21:55 AM »
My son just got a stem cell transplant, so while I am not familiar with the other uses of cord blood,  I am familiar with transplant and needing a stem cell donor.  My son got a marrow transplant from an unrelated donor off the bone marrow registry.  His brother was not a match.

Some thoughts

1) Keep in mind that if your child has cancer or a blood disorder, they would not use the banked cord blood to transplant back into him as your child's blood and marrow will be considered "defective" (for lack of a better term).  What the cord blood could be used for is a sibling who needs a transplant.   

2) From what I understand from my online support groups of cancer moms, cord blood in some ways is better for a transplant than marrow b/c there are less issues with immune incompatibility.  Meaning, if your child A needs a transplant due to a blood disorder or cancer, and Child B is a match - they may use the cord blood of child B instead of marrow.  I may be wrong on this.  It is free for people with a child with cancer to bank the cord blood of their siblings for this reason (I think a non-profit does it?) 

3) The other issue with cord blood banking is that there is not much volume of cord blood.  My son is 14 and the size of an adult.  If he were to have a cord blood donation, we were told it would be 2-3 different cords just to equal the volume of cells needed.  Very young children can get by on 1 cord. 

4) Siblings are only a match for transplant 30% of the time and typically no other relatives are considered for transplant.  If there are no other good choices, sometimes a parent is used.   It is a common misconception that the DNA of donor and recipient needs to be as similar as possible - only 1 part of 1 chromosome - the Human Leukocyte Antigens - need to be the same.  My younger son (I have 2 boys) was the only relative tested. 

5) Due to lack of volume of cells, lack of match, etc. we would not have been able to use our son's cords if they had been banked.  I know a mom whose daughter needed a transplant and all 4 of her siblings were not matches.

6) The field of immunotherapy in blood cancers is exploding - CAR-T cell therapy being the most used.  It is hoped that someday this therapy will dramatically reduce or eliminate the need for transplants in blood cancers.  There are blood disorders - sickle cell, aplastic anemia, etc. that use transplants for treatment and immunotherapy would not cure.

7) All that being said, I have no idea about the other uses of cord blood and science changes all the time.  I know that stem cell research would be huge for my son's cancer (leukemia). 

catccc

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Re: CORD BLOOD BANKING
« Reply #8 on: August 02, 2017, 10:40:14 AM »
Definitely donate instead.  It isn't about the money.  If it was free for us to do private storage, we would still have donated.