Pros and Cons of Storing Umbilical Cord Blood after Birth

Storing umbilical cord blood is fairly new, and parents have to carefully evaluate the pros and cons of this procedure before they opt for it. This procedure is not performed at every hospital, and is non-existent in home delivery. Therefore, parents who opt for it will have to go to a hospital where this procedure is conducted.
The main reason for parents opting for this is because they have a relative or a child, who is suffering from a disease that can be treated with bone marrow transplant. Some of the diseases that can be cured with bone marrow transplant are; certain types of leukemia, anemia, and severe combined immunodeficiency.

The odds that the new born baby will require his or her umbilical cord blood after birth are fairly low. There is no evidence of relatives' stem cells being more successful than those taken from an unrelated donor. The reason for this that the stem cells are 'naive' which in medical terms implies, that the chances of rejection by the body's immune system are very low.

Another major factor that parents must take into account is the cost of storing umbilical cord blood after birth. A commercial cord blood bank will charge $1000 to $2000 to store a sample of cord blood, and will charge $100 annually to maintain it. In addition, parents will have to pay several dollars for the cord blood collection kit, initial processing and courier charges.

Another point to consider is that stem cells transplant can only be performed on young adults and children. Stem cells from one donor are not enough for transplanting for an adult who will require a larger quantity of stem cells.
There are risks involved of collecting umbilical cord blood after birth. Clamping the umbilical cord too soon, may cause more blood to be collected however the baby may be born with a lower blood volume and may suffer from anemia.

There is insufficient evidence that self donated stem cells can help the donating child suffering from any bone marrow disease. Experts opine that self donating stem cells will not help the suffering child.

Parents must take all these factors into consideration, before opting for storing umbilical cord blood after their baby is born. Yes, if there is a recipient who needs stem cells then it would be a viable option.