Is Cord Blood Banking Worth It?

The umbilical cord attaches a baby to the placenta. During pregnancy, the umbilical cord supplies the baby with nutrients and removes waste. After the baby is born, the umbilical cord doesn’t have a job to do anymore. It dries up, falls off, and leaves behind a scar (the belly button).

For hundreds of years, healthcare providers didn’t think about the umbilical cord often. But then, researchers discovered that the blood in the umbilical cord contains stem cells, which are valuable and potentially lifesaving resources. The first stem cell transplant using cord blood happened in 1988. Since then, more than 35,000 cord blood stem cell transplants have been performed in both adults and children. 

Since stem cells are precious resources, many new parents wonder if they should do cord blood banking. But there are pros and cons to consider with the decision. Let’s take a closer look at cord blood banking and if it’s right for your family. 

What is cord blood used for?

After a baby is delivered and the umbilical cord is cut, the blood remaining in the cord is called the cord blood. This blood contains stem cells that can be used for stem cell transplants and to treat certain medical conditions. 

What diseases can cord blood treat?

Stem cells from cord blood can help treat the following conditions:

• Inborn errors of metabolism: These are rare genetic conditions that disrupt the breakdown of specific nutrients. They can have significant, lifelong effects. 

• Hematopoietic malignancies: These are cancers that develop in the blood, like leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. 

• Genetic disorders of the blood and immune system: Some people are born with a condition that affects how their immune system develops. These conditions include chronic granulomatous disease and severe combined immunodeficiency.

While stem cells can be used to help treat these conditions, a transplant may not be an option for everyone. And stem cell therapy isn’t always curative for these conditions. 

What are the pros and cons of cord blood banking?

Stem cell therapy can be lifesaving, but there are several things to take into consideration before you decide on cord blood banking.

Pros of cord blood banking

The biggest pro of cord blood banking is that it’s less invasive than other methods of retrieving stem cells. Collecting cord blood is not painful or invasive. When the umbilical cord is cut, the healthcare provider simply takes out the blood left in the cord. It’s painless for the baby and the person giving birth. And unlike other stem cell retrieval methods, there’s no risk to the donor.

Another major pro is that stem cell transplants from cord blood come with a lower likelihood of acute graft-versus-host disease. This is when a stem cell donor’s immune cells attack the recipient’s body. A lower risk of this reaction means that there is a better chance for the transplant to succeed. 

Cons of cord blood banking

The biggest drawbacks of cord blood banking are the costs associated with private storage. Cord blood banking is usually not covered by insurance. 

Is it better to use a private or public cord blood banking service?

The real decision about cord blood banking is whether to use a private or public service. Unfortunately, once you make a decision about which to use, you can’t change your mind. So it’s important to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each and how they could impact your family. 

Public cord blood banks

Donating to a public cord blood bank is like donating blood. Your donation is put into a registry and can be used by anyone who needs a stem cell transplant and is a match. You can’t specify if you want to donate to a specific person, and you can’t save the stem cells for future use by you or other people in your family. 

It is free to donate to a public bank. The FDA oversees public banks, so they all follow the same safety standards. You can be sure that your donation will be processed correctly and stored safely, so that it can be used in the future to help someone. 

It’s not always easy for people to find a stem cell match among friends and family. Donating cord blood, like donating blood, can save someone’s life. 

Private cord blood banks

Private banks let you store cord blood for your family’s future use. Private banks must register with the FDA, but they are not required to follow the same safety standards. There is a risk that cord blood may not be usable if it’s stored incorrectly. Private cord blood banking is also expensive. The average initial cost is about $2,000 for the processing fee, plus about $125 a year for storage.

Storing “genetic insurance” might sound appealing but, unfortunately, your child cannot receive a transplant of their own stem cells. If certain conditions run in your family, your child’s stem cells could be used to treat a sibling who has the condition, if they are a match. Unfortunately, siblings aren’t always a match, which means the child who requires the transplant may need a donation from a public bank. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommend that families donate cord blood to public banks. Cord blood stored in public banks is 30 times more likely to be used than cord blood stored in private banks. 

Donating to public banks increases everyone’s access to stem cell treatments. While you might not benefit directly from your donation, someone else’s life might be saved. Also, if you ever need a transplant, you would be more likely to find a match in the national registry if more people donate. 

Who can donate cord blood?

Donating cord blood is a big decision that could result in a lifesaving transplant. In order to qualify as a donor, you need to be at least 18 years old and you can’t have a history of: 

• Being related by blood to the baby’s father 

• Blood disorders such as aplastic anemia, hereditary spherocytosis, hereditary elliptocytosis, hypogammaglobulinemia, and polycythemia

• Infections such as hepatitis B and C, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), West Nile virus, syphilis, and tuberculosis

• Leukemia

• Taking immunomodulators

These criteria apply to you, not your baby. There may be other requirements based on your location and the specific cord blood bank you’re using. 

How do you donate to a public cord blood bank?

If you are planning to donate cord blood, these are the steps you need to take:

• Talk to your medical team about your decision to donate.

• Make sure the hospital or center where you are giving birth participates in cord donation.

• Contact the cord blood bank for your donation kit.

• Add cord blood donation to your birth plan.

• Put the donation kit in your hospital bag.

That’s it! When you arrive at the hospital or birthing center on the big day, your team will take care of the rest. They will collect and deliver the stem cells for you. You can focus on your new baby and know that, in their first moments, they probably helped save someone’s life. 

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Written by:

Meredith Grace Merkley, DO, FAAP

Dr. Merkley is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician who has over a decade of experience working in community health. She is currently a National Health Services Corp scholar, and is serving as the medical director of a school-based health clinic at a federally funded health center.

Edited by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

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