




Some arguments for donating cord blood





Some arguments for storing cord blood in a private bank

Those who advocate storage of cord blood in a family bank say that a child whose cord blood is stored today will have more medical options in the future. "Parents should be aware that no one has a crystal ball to predict where this research will lead us in the next 20 years," says Frances Verter, founder and director of the Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, each year nearly 20,000 people, ages 0 to 74 years, might benefit from a potentially lifesaving bone marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant.


A mother with a high-risk pregnancy who may deliver prematurely, for example, might want to arrange for family storage of her new baby's cord blood in case the baby is born with cerebral palsy. (The incidence of cerebral palsy is 10 times higher in preemies than in full-term babies, and many babies with cerebral palsy are benefiting from cord blood therapy.)


What do medical societies and policy makers say?

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist (ACOG) published an opinion on cord blood banking in 2015, stating that patients should be given balanced and accurate information about the advantages and disadvantages of public and private banking if they request it.

ACOG also says in its opinion that doctors who encourage families to enroll in for-profit cord blood banking – and who have a financial interest (or other possible conflict of interest) in the cord blood banking business – should disclose that to their patients. They point out that umbilical cord blood collection isn't routine or medically indicated, and that cord blood collection shouldn't compromise obstetric or neonatal care or alter routine practice when it comes to timing umbilical cord clamping.

The ACOG opinion also states, "The routine storage of umbilical cord blood as 'biologic insurance' against future disease is not recommended."



The U.S. Institute of Medicine issued a report in 2005 calling for expectant parents to receive education about all cord blood options. And 27 U.S. states have passed legislation requiring that expectant mothers receive education about all options for their baby's cord blood.

The American Academy of Pediatrics retired its position on cord blood banking (published in 2007) and plans to publish a new opinion in the near future. In the meantime, the AAP encourages families to donate their babies' cord blood to cord blood banks rather than store it in private banks as an "insurance policy."

What are the chances my family will need cord blood – or stem cells of some kind?

A national study published in 2008 looked at U.S. databases of patient diagnoses and transplants between 2001 and 2003. It found that the lifetime probability of receiving a stem cell transplant is 1 in 217 by age 70.




More cord blood resources

Find out more about cord blood and its potentially lifesaving qualities in our overview of cord blood banking basics, from a definition of cord blood to why parents decide to save it and store it. Also see our cord blood bank reviews, our guide to choosing a private cord blood bank and how much cord blood banking costs, how to donate cord blood, and more.



Show sources

AAP. January 2007. Policy: Cord blood banking for potential future transplantation. Pediatrics 119(1):165-170. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/119/1/165.full [Accessed May 2016]


AAP. 2015. Should we store our newborn's cord blood? American Academy of Pediatrics. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/prenatal/decisions-to-make/Pages/Should-We-Store-Our-Newborns-Cord-Blood.aspx [Accessed May 2016]


American Cancer Society. Stem Cell Transplant (Peripheral Blood, Bone Marrow, and Cord Blood Transplants). http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_1_4X_Sources_of_Stem_Cells_for_Transplant.asp [Accessed May 2016]


ACOG. 2015; replaces number 399, 2008. Committee Opinion 648. Umbilical Cord Banking. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/Resources-And-Publications/Committee-Opinions/Committee-on-Genetics/Umbilical-Cord-Blood-Banking [Accessed May 2016]


ASBMT. 2008. ASBMT Position Statement. Collection and Preservation of Cord Blood for Personal Use. American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation 14:364.


Ballen KK et al. 2013. Umbilical cord blood transplantation: The first 25 years and beyond. Blood 122(4):491-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3952633/ [Accessed May 2016]