Many people wonder about the high cord blood banking cost, as well as whether or not it is worth the investment. After all, there are very few establishments that will charge thousands of dollars for a blood sample, plus an additional charge every month or year for the rest of the time that the sample is stored. However, you will find that there are a number of benefits to storing the cord blood of your child, and below is everything you need to know about cord blood and why to store it.
Drawbacks to Cord Blood Banking
Before you can see all of the benefits of the blood banking process, it is important that you understand all of the drawbacks to the service. You need to know that the cost of collecting and storing the blood is actually thousands of dollars, plus a monthly or annual storage fee. For parents who are interested in caring for the health of their child in the future, the cost may be negligible. However, some parents find that the cost is too high for them, and thus is one of the main drawbacks.
There are fees for the initial processing, and some banks even charge for the collection kit that is sent to make it easy for doctors to send the cord blood to the bank. Some banks will charge for the transportation of the blood, as a special medical courier has to be sent. The storage fees are charged on a monthly or annual basis, and there may often be special maintenance fees that are charged. All in all, the cost of the blood banking is fairly high, and is one of the principal reasons that many people opt not to bank their child’s cord blood.
Benefits to Cord Blood Banking
Now that you know the drawbacks, we have to touch on the benefits of the cord blood. One of the main reasons that cord blood is collected and stored is to deal with degenerative disorders. There are not a lot of diseases that can be treated by the blood, but they are disorders that can be very problematic and usually fatal. These diseases include diabetes, heart problems, leukemia, Parkinson’s disease, lymphoma, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s disease.
The reason that the cord blood is so effective in dealing with these disorders is due to the fact that the blood is rich in stem cells. Stem cells are the building blocks of the body, as they direct the growth of all the cells in the body. Whether it is blood cells, tissue cells, or organ cells, the stem cells ensure that the cells in the body grow at a pace proportionate to the degeneration of cells. However, many of the diseases mentioned above cause the cells to degenerate much faster, and there are often insufficient stem cells to counteract the denegation. The stem cells in the cord blood act as reinforcements that help to strengthen the body and fight the degeneration.
Private or Public Banks?
Many people don’t know the difference between a private or a public blood bank, but the distinction is clear:
Public blood banks receive donations that are used by hospitals and clinics in order to treat patients. The blood stored in public blood banks is donated, and thus are accessible to the general public.
Private blood banks collect samples of blood from those who pay for the service, and the blood stored in these banks are only accessible to the person or the family of the person who contracted the service originally.
If you are considering storing your child’s cord blood for personal use in the future, you will find that you will need to contract the services of a private blood bank to collect and store the blood. Only if you are willing to donate the blood to another person or to medical research will you opt for a public blood bank, and you may not be able to access the blood once it is donated.
Now that you know as much about cord blood banking as you need to, it is time that you make the decision regarding what you are going to do with the blood from your child’s umbilical cord. There are many people who find that the expense and extra fuss accompanying the cord blood banking is not worth it, and thus they donate it to a public blood bank. What you do with it is up to you, but it is important that you are armed with knowledge of what the cord blood can do.
