subject: All things bright and beautiful with cord blood [print this page] All things bright and beautiful with cord blood
The stem cells present in the umbilical cord has brought in lot of changes in human science. Once the baby is in the womb the umbilical cord provides oxygen to the baby. The cells in the blood get developed into blood cells and can fight diseases. The blood in the umbilical cord has white blood cells. In other words it is rich in stem cell which helps to repair the damaged or dead cells. Umbilical cord blood banking involves collection of the cord blood and preservation of the same. There is a cost involved in preservation of the cord blood too.
Once the parents decide to preserve the umbilical cord blood they need to choose the right health center. As not all medical centers have the right kind of equipments to store and preserve the priceless blood. The collection of the umbilical blood is completely a hassle free and painless process. The method is same in case of a normal or a caesarean delivery. In case of a caesarean delivery, the gynecologist inserts the needle in the umbilical vein which is attached to the placenta. The blood that comes out is rich in stem cells and it is collected in a special kit. The undifferentiated cells, which can differentiate into specialized cell types, are called stem cells. Stem cells can be broadly divided into two parts, embryo stem cells and adult stem cells. Further, there are majorly three types of stem cells; they are Hematopoietic stem cells, Mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial stem cells. The stem cell therapies can cure fatal diseases like Parkinson's diseases, Schizophrenia, Alzheimer's diseases, Cancer, Spinal Cord injury, diabetes and many more.
The umbilical cord blood can be collected for two purposes. One public use and the other is private use. If the parents decide to donate the cord blood for anyone then the blood is preserved in the public blood bank. These banks are supported by various medical centers. On the other hand parents may decide to preserve the cord blood for their child's future. In this case the blood is preserved by private cord blood bank. The basic price to preserve the cord blood in a private bank is around $ 1000 to $ 2000. The price may differ and change from banks to banks. This is the initial price, however a maintenance fees is charged yearly too. The annual maintenance fee may range from $ 85 to $ 150. The cost to preserve the cord blood may sound a little expensive but the reason to store the blood is very important. This crucial decision of the parents is the most important decision. The cord blood collected from the umbilical cord is not enough for an adult who is more than 100 pounds. While collecting the blood 75 ml of blood is a must. Any amount lesser than that cannot be collected.
Anjali Kaimal, obstetrician and gynecologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and the study's lead researcher says that: "Expectant parents need to understand the true likelihood of their family benefiting from private cord blood banking in order to make an informed decision about this expensive process."
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