Thank you to the team at Progenics Cord Blood Cryobank for sharing what-you-need-to-know including What is Cord Blood, What are the Benefits of Cord Blood Banking, and more. Read to the end to learn more about Progenics and for a special NAKEDTANK discount.
As expecting parents, you want the very best for your baby, ensuring their health and well-being from the get-go. One incredible way to safeguard their future health is by considering cord blood banking.
What is cord blood?
Cord blood is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta after a baby is delivered. You do not need to be separated from your baby to collect the cord blood! In the past, cord blood was traditionally discarded as medical waste. However, following years of research, medical scientists have now applied the stem cells found in cord blood to successfully treat over 80 diseases and disorders.
More than 40,000 cord blood transplants have been performed worldwide- saving the lives of thousands!
What are the benefits of banking my baby’s cord blood?
Your baby’s cord blood is a 100% match for themselves, with a high chance of being a match for a sibling or parent as well. Should a medical need arise, it can be very challenging to find a match in the public registry, especially if your baby has a diverse ethnic background. It has been recommended that transplanting cord blood stem cells with a perfect HLA match should be the first choice (over bone marrow) to treat malignant diseases.
Can I bank my baby’s cord blood and tissue if I am doing delayed cord clamping?
Yes! You can delay cord clamping AND bank cord blood and tissue. Discuss your plan with your healthcare provider so they can implement the optimal time to delay cord clamping, yet still yield a large enough volume of cord blood to store your baby’s stem cells. We recommend the standard delay of up to 60 seconds for full-term healthy babies. Progenics has banked samples lower than 10 mL as there was a high enough cell count!
Cord tissue is not affected by delayed cord clamping, and many families choose to bank both cord blood and tissue for the various potential uses of the different types of stem cells extracted from each. Cord blood and tissue are collected ex-utero after delivery, and collection does not affect your birth plan in any way.
Should I bank cord blood for each of my children?
Yes! Each child's cord blood is a 100% match for themselves. There is also a high chance that your children will be a match for their siblings, so it is beneficial to store stem cells from each child. Some treatments may require 2 cord blood units, in which case a sibling’s cord blood could possibly be used for treatment. Using a sibling’s cord blood for transplant has been associated with better clinical outcomes and fewer possible complications than with an unrelated donor.
Progenics Cord Blood Bank is the only Canadian-owned and operated cord blood bank with accreditations from NetCord-FACT, AABB, and registered with Health Canada and the FDA. Progenics’ head office and lab are in Toronto, and their storage facility is in Markham, Ontario. They work with all hospitals across Canada! Along with their quality guarantee, they uniquely publish annual quality reports to the public on their website. Progenics uses a double stem cell extraction method which consistently yields a higher rate of Total Nucleated Cells- this is very important for a successful transplant. After banking with Progenics, clients will receive a Certificate of Quality which outlines the number of stem cells which were preserved.
Want to learn more? Visit www.progenics.ca . SAVE $150 OFF cord blood banking or $250 OFF cord blood and tissue banking with code NAKEDTANK