Today, you’ll hear many doctors and expecting parents extolling the benefits of banking your baby’s umbilical cord blood. But, what is cord blood? Well, here’s a quick overview of what exactly cord blood is and how banking it could benefit you or someone you love.
Umbilical cord blood is just that: blood derived from your baby’s umbilical cord. Many doctors choose to discard the umbilical cord, but it contains a rich source of stem cells which can be used to treat a wide range of diseases.
The collection of cord blood stem cells is an easy and painless procedure, unlike collecting bone marrow stem cells. During the child’s birth, the umbilical cord is clamped and cut as normal. The only thing that is done differently is that the cord is stored rather than being discarded. The sample is then shipped to a cord blood bank, where it will be frozen until the family requires it for transplantation.
Over the years, researchers have discovered many ways to utilize cord blood technology. The most common uses today aid in the treatment of blood diseases like leukemia and lymphoma; however, doctors are searching for ways to use cord blood stem cells to treat diseases like Alzheimer’s, strokes and cerebral palsy.
Disclosure – This is a sponsored post on behalf of Inseption Cord Blood Program
recent comments