What Is The Difference Between Private & Public Cord Blood Banking? – BabyGaga

There are various benefits to banking for baby's cord blood. But parents should consider if they want to do it privately or not.

Before giving birth to their tiny bundle of joy, parents usually do so much in preparation for the arrival of their new family member. They do things such as painting the nursery, finding a good pediatrician, choosing the best stroller, and much more. You may also want to think about one more thing; whether to bank your babys cord bloodor not. Today, many parents are considering banking their babys cord blood. If you are considering doing the same, you should find out the difference between private and public cord blood banking. First, however, you need to find out what it is and whether it is right for you and your family.

RELATED:The Pros & Cons Of Umbilical Cord Blood Banking

Over the last few years, the popularity of cord blood banking has been rising. You probably heard about it or came across information about it at some point or another. However, do you understand what it is? During delivery, when the doctor cuts the cord, some extra blood remains in the placenta and umbilical cord. This is cord blood, which is not needed after birth. However, this blood contains cells that could be helpful to those who are sick in the future or even now.

Cord blood banking is a painless and simple procedure that could save many lives. It involves harvesting of the cord blood from the clamped-off umbilical cord, freezing it, and then storing it for future use. If stored properly, it can last indefinitely. Scientists continue to study how it might help with various disorders and diseases, such as Parkinsons disease, diabetes, autism, cerebral palsy, and certain heart defects.

If you choose to donate your babys cord blood to a public blood bank, you will not need to pay any fees. Once processed, the blood will be part of the registry and any patient in need of it will have access to it. If you opt for private cord blood banking, however, you will probably need to pay collection and storage fees. Your babys cord blood, in this case, will be for your use only. Essentially, you and your loved ones will have exclusive rights and access to your stem cells.

Private cord blood banking means a higher chance of a match if the need arises. In other words, your baby will have a perfect match and his/her siblings will have a 75 percent chance of being a partial match. This reduces the risk of post-transplant GVHD, or graft versus host disease. On the other hand, if you choose public cord blood banking, public recipients will need to be a suitable match for a transplant. Unfortunately, experts estimate that post-transplant GVHD happens in 60 percent to 80 percent of procedures where the recipient and donor are unrelated.

Although you will need to pay some processing and storage fees when you use private cord blood banking, you will not have to pay any retrieval cost. Therefore, if the unthinkable happens and you need to use the blood, you can simply go and get it from the bank. Public cord blood banking recipients, however, need to spend quite a lot of money to buy from a public bank.

Public cord blood banking is helpful to patients suffering from one of more than 70 diseases. Researchers also use it to further their cord blood studies; however, it is not always available for clinical trials.

Private banking, on the other hand, is for the child or other members of the family. It can help treat conditions such as lymphoma, leukemia, and more than 70 other diseases. In addition, it is instantly available for clinical studies on conditions such as cerebral palsy and autism.

Unlike private banking, public banking increases the diversity and number of cord blood units available. In addition, when minorities donate to public banks, the pool of blood units available in the public system expands. This makes it easier for people of all races to find matches. In other words, public cord blood banking avails stem cells to any patient who needs them.

When you donate cord blood to a public bank, you need to understand that it will go through a process of testing for both infectious disease and genetic abnormalities. Someone will notify you in case of any problems. Stem cell transplant using your own cord blood, however, is useless when it comes to treating genetic disorders. This is because your cord blood contains the mutations that cause a genetic disorder.

Due to these differences and limitations, tens of thousands of transplants using unrelated donor cord blood have taken place worldwide. In contrast, less than one thousand autologous cord blood procedures have taken place in the United States in the last 20 years. This is why the AMA and AAP recommend against using private cord blood banking as a form of a biological insurance. However, in certain situations, it might be the right choice. Therefore, you need to perform adequate research and consider your particular situation before choosing between private and public cord blood banking.

NEXT:New Blood Test Could Help Diagnose Brain Damage in Babies Hours After Birth

Sources: yourgenome.org, whattoexpect.com, webmd.com.

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What Is The Difference Between Private & Public Cord Blood Banking? - BabyGaga