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Blood Cord Registry

Budgeting for the Price of Cord Blood

Cord blood banking can seem like an expensive thing at first, but when you look at the uses and benefits of doing so, the price seems more than reasonable. Consider that cord blood can potentially save the life of your child down the road, and the price seems trivial. Budgeting for cord blood banking should begin before you have your child if possible, when you will have more unexpected expenses.

Consider cutting other nominal or unnecessary expenses from your budget for a few months, and you will quickly build the cash necessary to plan for your cord blood banking. You might considering selling a few of the luxuries you dont need. Sell an Ipad, switch to basic cable, or go out to eat a few less times a month. Before you know it, you will easily be able to afford the price of cord blood.

There are many resources out there that help you understand cord blood and cord blood banking. It sometimes helps to understand the procedure in order to understand its benefits. Understanding the benefits will help in the budgeting, as you will prioritize based upon the benefits.

What Is the Price of Cord Blood Banking?

The blood left behind in the umbilical cord and the placenta after a baby is born has become increasingly valuable to new parents. This so-called cord blood is rich with hematopoietic stem cells, which can be used to treat certain cancers, blood conditions and genetic disorders. But what is the price of cord blood banking?


Parents who want to save their child’s cord blood have a couple of options: They can store the blood privately for the future use of their child, or they can donate it to a public bank where it could be used by anyone in need.


The main drawback of public cord blood banking is that you can’t guarantee there will be cord blood that matches your child should he or she ever need it. The plus is that it’s free and you support a positive institution that might help you or your child someday in the future.


Private banking, which has increased in popularity in recent years, ensures your child’s blood will be available to him or her in the future, or to another close relative. It also comes at a steep financial price, together with the knowledge that your child almost certainly won’t need to use his or her cord blood while someone else might.


The price of cord blood banking can run into the thousands; private cord blood banks usually charge a collection fee of $1,500 or more, an annual fee for storage, and as much as $25,000 if the blood is used for a cell transplant. The transplant costs, however, are typically covered by health insurance.


When factoring in the price of cord blood banking, it is important to remember that there is no guarantee your child’s hematopoietic stem cells will be able to treat him or her in the case of illness down the road. Many of the treatment possibilities opened by cord blood are still being researched.

Guide to Donating Cord Blood

Donating cord blood is one of the best ways you can give support to people who need your help. It also keeps alive an institution that might save your child should he or she ever need it


Cord blood, which includes the blood left in the umbilical cord and the placenta after birth, is rich in hematopoietic stem cells, which can be used to treat a number of cancers, blood disorders and genetic conditions. They are also being researched for their possible use with many other diseases.


The importance of donating cord blood as a potential lifesaver for people who develop these conditions has only become apparent over the past 20 years or so. An industry has grown to support the realization, giving parents of newborns two options for dealing with cord blood beyond discarding of it.


First there’s banking the cord blood with a private registry for potential future use by the child or another close relative. This method is costly, and the odds of a specific child developing an illness for which the stem cells could prove useful are usually very slim.


Then there’s donating cord blood to a public cord blood bank. This has a few drawbacks, the biggest being that your child won’t have access to his or her own cord blood down the road. On the other hand, there’s a greater likelihood your donation will be put to good use supporting someone else, you won’t pay thousands of dollars, and you will know you helped a good cause that will be there should your child need it.


Donating cord blood can be easier said than done, depending on where you live. If you are in one of the states where public cord blood banks collect at hospitals, all you have to do is show up and give birth. If not, you may have to do the legwork yourself early in the pregnancy.