Studies have show that cord blood stem cells from an genetically related family member result in better transplant outcomes, less transplant-related mortality and superior long-term survival compared with stem cells from unrelated donors sourced from a public bank.

In fact, the National Marrow Donor Program expects it will release more cord blood stem cells than bone marrow stem cells for transplant in 2007. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a leading cancer advocacy group, also asserts that cord blood will become the standard for stem cell transplantation in the future.

Related stem cells are genetically unique to your child and family, offering the best chance for a successful transplant if ever needed by a family member.

When family banking, the stem cells belong to the family, are not available to the public and cannot be used without the family's permission.

Why Do Some Families Choose to Store Privately?

Expectant parents who choose to bank their child's cord blood stem cells privately for their own family do so because they feel it offers them the peace of mind that comes from knowing if ever needed, related stem cells are immediately available. Family banked stem cells are not available to the public and cannot be used without the family's consent.

Additional reasons to family bank include:

• The cord blood stem cells are a perfect match for the child from whom they are collected and eliminate any risk of rejection.
• The cord blood stem cells have a 25 percent chance to being a perfect match and a 50 percent chance of providing a suitable match for a sibling, an important factor since government statistics show that 59 percent of all pregnant women already have one or more child in the family.
• Related stem cells are the preferred choice of transplant physicians and cause fewer problems such as graft vs. host disease, which is often a fatal transplant complication
• Family banked cord blood stem cells may also be a suitable match and provide a treatment options for parents, grandparents, even cousins, as biological matches are more common between family members.
• Families with banked stem cells may be the first in line to benefit from emerging stem cell therapies in the field of Regenerative Medicine for conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, spinal cord injury and brain damage.
• Minority populations are significantly underrepresented on transplant registries and it is recommended that mixed ethnic marriages strongly consider family banking due to limited number of matches on current registries.

Collecting and Storing Cord Blood

Collecting a baby's cord blood is a simple, safe and painless procedure that occurs in the delivery room moments after a baby is born. Once the umbilical cord is cut from the baby, the blood remaining in the cord is collected by the delivery specialist. The process is completely non-invasive and does not interrupt the birthing procedure.

How much does it cost?

The initial cost to process cord blood is between $1800 and $2000. Annual storage for each cord blood sample is approximately $125.

How can I find out more information?

Cord Blood Registry is the world's largest and most experienced family cord blood bank. It is also the most recommended family cord blood bank by obstetricians and gynecologists. To find out more about family banking visit: Cordblood.com