There are many factors to consider when selecting a cord blood bank. If a cord blood bank does not have high operating standards and equipment for shipping and storing the cord blood, it may be problematic to you in the future.
You may have heard all about the advantages of cord blood stem cells, the conditions they can treat, and their potential uses to treat a variety of critical conditions in the future. Knowing that the stem cells are available for use in future assures parents that they’re doing everything possible for their child’s health.
Finding the right place for your cord blood donation isn’t hard. However, you can’t just go blindly and choose any bank. Proper research must be done to ascertain that the institution is supporting the BeTheMatch program.. This is because you will be giving them your stem cells, which will be frozen for future care and support of others.
Things to Consider When Choosing Cord Blood Bank
Experience
Look for a cord blood bank that has years of experience. Also, check their client portfolios. There may be a bank that is here for the last 10 years, but has only hundreds of clients, compared to a bank that opened five years back and was able to acquire thousands of clients. Check their statistical data and then confirm.
Stability
Some cord blood banks work as franchises. This means they may enrol you, but the sample goes somewhere else. Moreover, every couple of years their laboratory keeps changing, which means relocating samples to a different location. This can damage the cells and become useless. You need a cord blood bank that has its laboratory where they store your cells.
Insurance
One of the greatest worries that bother parents is whether their baby’s stem cells will be healthy enough whenever a transplant is required. A reputable bank will provide insurance plans that help parents if they need to use their cord blood in the future. Some banking institutions provide a guarantee of up to $100,000 for their cord blood.
Shipment
When subjected to extreme temperatures like the low temperature of an air cargo or the high temperature of a loading dock in the summer, live stem cells are more susceptible to deterioration over time. The insulation and materials a cord blood banks use for their gathering and transportation kit should be taken into consideration by parents. It is best to choose a bank that offers such a kit that keeps a stable temperature inside the kit despite outside extremes.
Cost
For new parents, the cost of cord blood banking may be a concern, particularly since it arrives at a time when they are dealing with other new expenditures. It is difficult to place a price on the priority list that comes from knowing that your child is protected in case of need. Moreover, there is no surety that you will find a suitable match at the public cord bank. Thankfully, payment plans can reduce the price of family banking to reasonable monthly EMIs that are less expensive, than your monthly baby food and milk expenses.
Umbilical cords are discarded shortly after childbirth. Therefore, you will need to make plans well in advance if you decide to go with cord blood banking. You will also need to let your doctor know what you’ve decided so that she can get started on the required procedures as soon as you give birth.