Umbilical Cord Blood Donation: The Basics

What is the umbilical cord?

As a baby grows inside the womb, the umbilical cord sends nutrients and oxygen to the baby. The umbilical cord runs from the baby’s belly (where the belly button will be) to the placenta in the womb. The cord has a few large vessels that pass blood and nutrients to the baby.

What are stem cells?

Stem cells are a type of cell that can turn into many types of blood cells or immune cells. These stem cells are found in the bone marrow, the umbilical cord, and in the blood (in smaller amounts). The blood found in the umbilical cord (often called cord blood) has many blood stem cells.

How can cord blood be used?

After birth, the umbilical cord and placenta are no longer needed. The blood left in the umbilical cord and placenta has lots of stem cells. These healthy stem cells can be collected and frozen to be used later by patients who need an allogeneic (donor) transplant. Allogeneic stem cell transplant can be used to treat many things, like leukemia, lymphoma, aplastic anemia, sickle cell anemia, and more.

If you need an allogeneic transplant, you may be able to get cells that “match” your cells from a family member, a person on the bone marrow registry, or from a cord blood unit. Cord blood that is used for transplants is donated after the birth of a child.

How does a mother donate cord blood?

If you’re thinking about donating your baby’s cord blood, visit the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) to see if a donation site is in your area. There are some health and safety guidelines you’ll need to follow. Before delivery, you’ll fill out a consent form and a short health history questionnaire. After your baby is born, the hospital team will collect the cord blood for donation.

What happens to the cord blood after it leaves the hospital?

The cord blood is tested to make sure it has no signs of infection or other issues. It is checked to be sure it is large enough (has enough blood-forming cells) to be used for a transplant. If there are not enough cells, the cord blood may be used for research to improve transplants for future patients. The cord blood is then tissue typed and listed on the bone marrow donor registry and the National Cord Blood Inventory (NCBI). The donation is anonymous. It is identified by a number and never by name. It is kept frozen in a liquid nitrogen freezer. If handled and stored correctly, cord blood can be frozen for more than 20 years without losing its benefits for transplant.

Does it cost anything to donate cord blood?

There is no cost for donating. Unrelated donor cord blood banks will cover the cost of processing and storing the cord blood.

Can my family use this cord blood if needed?

No, cord blood is not held for your family specifically. It is listed on the registry and is available to anyone. You can store cord blood for use within your own family through a private bank for a fee.

Should I save my baby’s cord blood for my family’s future use?

It is your choice whether to donate your baby’s cord blood or store it for your family. Medical experts generally support donating to public banks because these donations are used much more often than privately stored cord blood. Private storage can be expensive and is most useful when a family member has a known genetic condition that can be treated with cord blood.

How does cord blood help patients?

Cord blood donations can be helpful to people with diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds since finding matched stem cell donors can be harder.

Donating cord blood can help save a life. Talk with your provider about donating cord blood and how it can help people in the future.