Deciding About Cord Blood Banking
There are numerous companies in the United States that deal with cord blood banking, the most well known among these being ViaCord and Cord Blood Registry. If you’re planning on storing your child’s cord blood with one of these companies, you may need to save some money first. ViaCord charges $1,500 to collect the cord blood and then you will need to pay $95 every year for them to store it. Since they have the ability to store it for up to 21 years, it would cost you roughly $3,500. ViaCord’s direct competitor, Cord Blood Registry, is slightly less expensive to collect the blood, charging $1,290. The same $95 annual fee is charged through Cord Blood Registry.
After knowing the costs, it is important for a potential client to be aware of what is exactly involved in the procedure. The first question that you may pose is how likely is it that you’ll ever need your child’s cord blood? Approximately 1 out of every 2,700 people who bank their child’s blood will ever use it. However, if your child had their cord blood in the bank, doctors would be much more likely to use that before administering blood from a donor. Even if the blood was taken from a sibling, there is only a 25% chance that it would be a match. Another positive to cord blood banking is that it is always available when you need it.
So, who should consider banking their child’s cord blood? Everyone has the option; however children with higher risks of having a condition needing medical treatment may benefit from this procedure the most. Having stem cells on hand can be a huge plus if your child has a higher than average risk of contracting sickle cell anemia, leukemia, aplastic anemia or thalassemia. It would also be necessary to have if your child is ever in need of a stem cell transplant, has metabolic storage disorders or immunodeficiencies.
If your baby does have a high risk of having a disease or some other medical condition, you should ask your child’s pediatrician or other parents for their advice on the subject. If you decide this is something you wish to do, you may wonder how you can afford the high cost. One option is to register with one of the company’s websites. This way in lieu of traditional baby gifts, friends and family can put money towards the procedure. Also, there is a place called the Children’s Hospital of Oakland and they have what is called the Sibling Donor Cord Program. This program allows you to store your child’s cord blood for free, assuming that you meet their eligibility requirements. The Children’s Hospital of Oakland will assist you if your child has a transplantable condition, has a prenatal diagnosis of a transplantable condition or if your unborn baby has a high risk of needing a transplant of some kind.
Another option you have when it comes to cord blood banking is donating your child’s cord blood. You can do this if you live near one of the National Marrow Donor Program Cord Blood Banks. These banks are located in 14 states in North America, which include Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington. The stems cells located in your child’s cord blood could then be used to save the lives of unrelated children who are in need of a transplant. Keep in mind, there is no cost for you to donate and donating poses no risk to your child.
