From one of the few parents who decided to use them…
Top ten reasons why NOT to preserve your baby’s cord blood at a private umbilical cord stem cell bank.
10. It’s expensive. You have to pay a subscription fee of about $1,500 and then a yearly maintenance rate of around $100.
9. It sounds strange… Do you preserve other cells from your body (sperm, eggs, white cells) at a private bank (laboratory)?
8. DMSO causes a rash. The substance used to preserve the cord blood stem cells known as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) may cause a rash after infusion to the bloodstream.
7. The bank stem cell deposit process is well known… They even send you flowers. The stem cell extraction process from the bank is not well rehearsed… They don’t send any flowers.
6. As far as I know there are less than twenty cases world wide (ww) of parents who preserved the umbilical cord blood and then had to use it. And there are hundreds of thousands of people paying to preserve cord blood world wide (ww).
5. Smells strange. The substance they use to preserve the cells known as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) smells like black olives.
4. You could preserve your own bone marrow stem cells today…. have you?
3. The amount of stem cells obtained from the umbilical cord are rarely sufficient for a stem cell transplant.
2. If you have a mutation, umbilical cord stem cells will also carry that same mutation.
1. Its better to donate. If everyone donates the umbilical cord blood to a public registry then it would be easier for the people who need to use them to find compatible cells.
And a bonus:
Umbilical cord blood private banks have strange marketing techniques. Don’t believe everything they say.
Coming soon: Top ten reasons why you SHOULD preserve your baby’s cord blood.