What happens to cord blood after 18 years
- how is cord blood collected
- how is cord blood obtained
- how is umbilical cord blood collected
- should i collect cord blood
Public cord blood banking.
Cord Blood Testing and Banking
What are cord blood testing and cord blood banking?
Cord blood is the blood left in the umbilical cord after a baby is born. The umbilical cord connects a mother to her unborn baby during pregnancy.
It contains blood vessels that bring nourishment to the baby and remove waste products.
After a baby is born, the cord is clamped shut and cut.
Cord blood banking pros and cons
The blood that remains in the cord may be collected and used in two ways:
Cord blood testing. This means doing a variety of tests on cord blood to check the baby's health. Tests may also be done on cord blood if a health care provider is concerned that the baby may have a health condition, such as an infection or an acid-base (pH) imbalance.
Some hospitals may routinely collect cord blood samples to do tests to check a baby's general health.
Cord blood banking. This means saving blood from the baby's umbilical cord in a special facility called a cord blood bank.
The blood is saved so it can be used to treat certain diseases. Umbilical cord blood is full of special cells called stem cells. Stem cells can
- how is cord blood extracted
- how is cord blood taken