Common Private Cord Blood Banking Myths Debunked

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Common Private Cord Blood Banking Myths
Debunked
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Newborn Umbilical Cord 

• it is a medical bank where doctors extract the
  hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) from the newborn
  umbilical cord and can be preserved indefinitely.
  You can bank the cord blood in a private or a
  public blood bank and can be used later on to
  treat diseases and illnesses. 
•  This may sound like a wonderful medical
  breakthrough, but there are many myths about
  private cord blood banking making the rounds. Let
  us have a look at these myths and break the
  misconceptions clouding the minds of
  parents-to-be.

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Private Cord Blood Banking Myths

• Can It Harm My Baby Be Harmed?
• Collection of cord blood is in no way
  harmful to the baby or the mother. The blood that
  is discarded after birth normally is collected
  and stored at the cord blood bank.

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Private Cord Blood Banking Myths

• Private Cord Blood Banks May Send Our Babys Cord
  Blood for Research
• This is a complete myth as private cord blood
  banks give exclusive accessibility and control to
  the cord blood you store. They charge you
  annually for storing the cord blood and will give
  you access as and when you require it in the
  future. Unlink public banks wherein the blood may
  be sent further for research purposes.

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Private Cord Blood Banking Myths

• Choose Any Cord Blood Bank, They Are All the Same
• Wrong. Private blood banks have to follow
  stringent norms in terms of quality, cost,
  location, and need to be FDA-approved and
  AABB-accredited. However, not all private blood
  banks have DA approval and AABB-accreditation.
  Those who have both, have high annual storage
  fees and better facilities to store your babys
  cord blood for a longer duration.

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Private Cord Blood Banking Myths

• It is Always Better to Store Cord Blood in
  Private Banks
• Many to-be parents often think storing their
  babys cord blood in private banks is better than
  donating it to a public bank. If your family has
  a history of certain diseases and disorders, then
  choosing a private blood bank may sound logical.
  However, there is no such history and you dont
  even know if you will ever need to access the
  stored cord blood, then donating the cord blood
  to a public bank is a wise decision.

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Private Cord Blood Banking Myths

• You Cant Treat Your Child With His/ Her Own
  Blood as it May Be Diseased Itself
• This statement does not hold much ground as
  autologous transplants have been in use for more
  than a decade. Use of ones own stem cells has
  helped in the treatment of many diseases ranging
  from neuroblastoma, lymphoblastic leukemia, etc.

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Private Cord Blood Banking Myths

• Cord Blood can Remain Viable Only for 10 Years
• Current studies have shown, stem cells stored
  for about 24 years remained viable without any
  decrease in viability or proliferation. It is
  even claimed by cryopreservationists these cells
  can be stored indefinitely in a controlled
  environment.

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Private Cord Blood Banking Myths

• Cord Blood Banking And Ethical Issues
• According to the Indian Council of Medical
  Research (ICMR), there are certain issues related
  to the self-use of cord blood as promoted by cord
  blood banks. The ICMR guidelines for stem cell
  research (2013) states there is no scientific
  basis for preservation of cord blood for future
  self-use. Thus, this practice is not officially
  recommended and any use other than bone marrow
  transplantation apart from clinical trials is
  termed as a medical malpractice.

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Private Cord Blood Banking Myths

• You Can Decide About Cord Blood Banking Just
  Before You Deliver
• It is not a good idea to make a last-minute
  decision in most of the cases. Your hospital may
  not have a cord blood collection kit ready during
  the childs birth. There are many logistics that
  need to be figured out before you can store the
  cord blood. Thus, make sure you enroll early to a
  cord blood bank of your choice for smooth and
  hassle free collection during the birthing
  process.

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Conclusion

• These are few of the common cord blood myths that
  are busted above. Cord blood does have many
  benefits in cases where there is a family history
  of leukemia or thalassemia. However, it will
  remain as a personal choice whether or not one
  should store the cord blood.

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References

• https//www.cordlifeindia.com/blog/common-private-
  cord-blood-banking-myths-debunked/
• https//link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12098-0
  15-2026-6
• https//www.thebump.com/a/cord-blood-myths