Reasons to Bank Your Baby´s Stem Cells

Why are so many parents-to-be choosing Placenta•Cord™ banking? There are as many reasons as there are people banking their baby’s placental and cord blood stem cells. As one of the largest cord blood banks in the world, LifebankUSA™ has provided services for thousands of families worldwide. We provide private cord blood banking and are highly accredited. Here are some of the benefits our member families considered when choosing to bank with LifebankUSA:

· Cord blood is rich in stem cells: ounce for ounce, cord blood contains many times more blood-producing cells than bone marrow

· The placenta is also rich in blood-producing cells and can nearly double the total number of stem cells collected from cord blood alone

· Storing your child’s stem cells at a cord blood bank is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to potentially help protect your family’s future health

· These stem cells can replenish themselves and transform into other cell types including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets

· Thousands of stem cell transplants have been performed worldwide for some 80 known disease diagnoses, including leukemia and immune system disorders

· The stem cells you store at a cord blood bank today may become even more beneficial in the future with research constantly under way to find new medical uses including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and spinal cord injury*

· Cord blood banking is simple and noninvasive. The procedure only takes about 5 minutes and poses no risk to either the mother or the newborn

· More than one third of those in need of a stem cell transplant fail to find a suitable matched donor

· Privately banked cord blood will provide your baby with a perfect match for potential stem cell transplants—with a greater likelihood of a suitable match for family members than from a public registry

· There is a lower risk of infectious disease transmission when using umbilical cord blood and placental stem cells as compared to bone marrow stem cells [1]


[1] Behzad-Behbahani A, et al. Transplant Proc. 2005;37:3211-3212.

The chance that a child will use his/her own stored cord blood stem cells during their lifetime is estimated at 1 in 400 (J.J. Nietfeld and F. Verter). These odds may increase if there is a family history of certain blood disorders or cancers. The potential risks and benefits of stem cell transplantation vary and depend on many factors, such as the amount and quality of the cord blood stem cells collected, the HLA compatibility between recipient and donor, and the client’s overall health.