Umbilical cord blood banking is one more option available to expectant parents, which should be taken before the birth of their child. It is a vital decision that must be considered carefully. The final decision whether to save cord stem cells or not is a personal one but while deciding on it, you must educate yourself as to what the procedure entails as well as the pros and cons.

Cord blood banking means saving or storing the stem cells. To get these stem cells, your doctor will draw blood from the umbilical cord at the time of your baby’s birth. This blood is then dispatched to the company whose services you want to use. Here the stem cell’s are removed from the blood and stored particularly for the later use of your family.

The reason why this is done is that the available research shows this blood has the power to heal injuries and ailments. E.g. diseases like leukemia, lymphomas, brain damages, brain tumors and other cancers have been successfully treated by cord stem cells. But these are just some diseases from amongst the 70 diseases that can be cured by stem cell, and the list keeps on getting longer.

So the question, why should people not opt for cord blood stem cell banking, should be asked. While this question cannot be answered with certainty, since the situation and belief varies amongst people, the cost is the main reason dissuading many people. Another con is your individual views and if using stem cells lies within the acceptable limits of each person.

The average charges for enrolling in the well-known companies are around $ 1600-$ 2100. These charges cover the kit for gathering, the transportation costs to send the blood to the company’s locations, processing the cord blood and obtaining the stem-cells, and the storage fees for the first year. Moreover the annual storage fees are around $ 125 on an average.

All expectant parents must take an educated decision as to what is proper for them. The charges and the advantages it offers about your family’s later health are just few of the points that should be considered when deciding.