Benefits of Stem Cells You Need to Know

All of you might have heard about the stem cell research and treatments, right? Being the master cells of human body, stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into any type of cell. Even though stem cells are unspecialized, they can produce specialized cells. Moreover, these master cells have the capability of dividing and renewing themselves for a prolonged period of time. Such special attributes and unique features of stem cells offer the vast potential to treat a number of diseases and disorders. Stem cells can be collected from embryos, bone marrow, amniotic fluid, teeth, umbilical cord blood, placenta and umbilical cord blood tissue. Though embryonic stem cell harvesting and research has been surrounded by a lot of ethical, legal and social controversies, umbilical cord blood tissue stem cell banking has gained wide acceptance.

Medical researchers and scientists have been working hard for making the most out of the unique properties and remarkable benefits of stem cells. New therapeutic applications for these master cells are discovered every day and that is why the future possibilities of stem cell therapy looks bright for treating a number of debilitating medical conditions. Currently, stem cells are used to treat more than 80 diseases which include numerous types of malignancies, anemia’s, inherited metabolic disorders and deficiencies of the immune system. With several clinical trials and studies underway, researchers believe that stem cell treatments and regenerative medicine therapy can revolutionize the future of medicine. 

If you are an expectant parent who is well aware about the incredible benefits of stem cells therapies, then you should  consider banking your newborn’s cord blood. Harvesting the umbilical cord blood and tissue is a non-invasive and painless procedure that poses no harm to the mother or the child. Newborn’s umbilical cord blood banking may prove as a rich source of life-saving treatment not only for your child but also for your family members in the future.

Is the Cord Blood Banking Cost Worth it?

Remarkable benefits of stem cell research are many and one of the major breakthroughs in the field of stem cell research and development was the discovery of stem cell presence in umbilical cord blood. This discovery led to a new practise in the medical field – cord blood banking.  If you are an expectant parent, then it is one of the most important decisions that you need to make before the birth of the baby. 

Blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord is termed as cord blood (CB). Researchers have

found out that the cord blood is rich in stem cells. Harvesting the cord blood right after the child birth and preserving it for long term storage is termed as umbilical cord blood banking. Valuable stem cells present in the CB has the potential to treat ischemic vascular disease, metabolic storage disease, hemoglobinopathies, neurological disorders, malignant and non-malignant diseases. Moreover, the umbilical cord blood stem cells are also used for regenerative medicine therapy.  Preserving the cord blood cells and cord tissues proves beneficial not only for the baby, but also for other members of the family. Expectant parents need to realise the remarkable benefits of stem cell research and think about banking the newborn’s umbilical cord blood, especially if your family has a medical history of genetically inherited diseases or disorders.

Private and public umbilical cord blood banking services are available. A whopping amount of money is charged by the private cord blood banks for the collection, processing and storage of CB, whereas donation of CB to a public bank is free of cost. If you have decided to bank your newborn’s cord blood in private facility, then it is strongly recommended to start the planning in advance. Do spend some extra time in research and planning, which will help you in finding the best family cord blood banking services. Expectant parents who can’t afford the higher private cord blood banking prices can donate the baby’s cord blood to public banks so that it will be available for free to anyone who needs it.

Reasons to Save Baby’s Cord Blood & Tissue

Umbilical cord and placenta, which was once discarded as  a medical waste, has currently turned out to be the life-saving material. Stem cell banking using the cord blood cells has gained immense popularity across the globe. Unlike the embryonic stem cell research, cord blood stem cell banking doesn’t have any ethical controversies or complexities surrounding them. 

Cord blood is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells, which has the remarkable potential to treat

more than 80 diseases including but not limited to cancers, blood disorders, immune disorders, metabolic disorders and inherited diseases. Moreover, it is also considered as a safe and effective alternative to bone  marrow during the stem cell transplants. That is why majority of the doctors and researchers have been encouraging the expectant parents to bank their newborn baby’s cord blood. Public and private cord blood banking facilities are available from which the expectant parents can make their pick. If you are planning to bank your newborn baby’s cord blood for personal use by the family, then private cord blood bank facilities can help you out. However, you have to pay the initial processing and long term storage fees. On the other hand, you can also decide to donate the cord blood for regenerative medicine research or stem cell transplant purpose, at free of cost. If you choose the later, then you need to get in touch with a public cord blood bank.

Not just the cord blood, but the cord tissue also contains stem cells which has the power to treat debilitating conditions. Several clinical trials are underway exploring the umbilical cord tissue benefits. According to the researchers, hematopoietic stem cells present in the cord tissue has the potential to treat the medical conditions affecting cartilage, muscle and nerve cells. Expectant parents having a clear understanding about the cord blood and umbilical cord tissue benefits need to think through decisions.

3 Things to Discuss with Your Partner about Family Cord Blood Banking

Cord blood banking has been gaining immense popularity these days. If you are an expecting mom, then you would have heard a lot about the cord blood and the advanced stem cell banking facilities. What exactly is cord blood (CB)? Why you should even think about saving it? There might be a several set of questions running through your mind. So you and your partner need to discuss about the importance of cord blood banking and decide whether or not to bank it.  You can also seek advice and suggestions from your physician. Here are a few steps that you can follow to come up with a good decision. 

1. Get the facts straight: Make it a point to get the accurate information about the umbilical cord tissue and blood banking services. Discuss the details with your partner and make sure he gets a clear understanding of what it is all about. Explain how the cord blood is collected and why it is a harmless procedure. Moreover, make him aware about the remarkable advantages of donating or banking the CB.
2. Weigh the pros and cons: Once your partner is clear about the importance and advancements of the adult stem cell banking, it is time to decide whether you should think about banking your newborn’s cord blood or not. Analyse the medical history  of both yours and your partners. Keep in mind that cord blood stem cells have the potential to treat more than 80 diseases and it also includes genetically inherited disorders. 
3. Review the costs: Assuming that you are interested to save the umbilical cord tissue and blood, the next step is to discuss about the costs required for banking the CB.  If you are planning to rely on the services of  private family cord blood banking, then you should briefly study about  their initial collection, processing and storage fees. On the contrary, you can also think about donating the CB to a public bank, which is free of cost.
    

These are some of the important factors you need to discuss with your partner for taking an informed decision regarding the family cord blood banking services.