August 2011 Moms
NJB02
member
Which Cord Blood Banking co. did you decide to go with?
NJB02
member
We have just started the process of seeking out the companies that offer cord blood banking. It was quite a task to get my DH on board with me when it comes this this but he's finally on board and now I'm looking for your input as to:
- what company you are going with
- why
- how much was the initial cost
- expense per month to bank the blood
- have you found any hidden costs
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Which Cord Blood Banking co. did you decide to go with?
You always get your cord blood back if you choose to bank it privately. If you need to use it, certain genetic markers need to be matched to use it. Thus, they can't give you any random cord.
Other than that, despite what the companies say, the cord blood is not useful for the child that you got it from. They are most commonly used for bone marrow transplants if a child develops certain cancers. Since these cancers are believed to begin in utero, the cancerous cells will be found within the cord blood rendering it useless. The same concept holds true for metabolic diseases. There are only a few rare circumstances when it can be used for the kid it came from. If you have a second child who needs a transplant and they are a match to the first child, then the cord blood may be used. However, due to problems and inconsistencies in the banking process, many physicians choose to get the stem cells from the child in a different way. Private cord blood banks aren't regulated by the FDA while public ones are. Therefore, their processes aren't regulated. Additionally, if enough cells aren't collected, the company is not obligated to tell you. You will pay for years of banking despite that the cord blood collected is insufficient for use. Public banks only accept about 30% of the cords collected due to issues of inadequate volume/cells collected/potency... Private banks will always bank your cord blood despite these issues. Just some food for thought. I'm going to donate mine to a public bank.
I agree with you completely. Also my OB is expecting his firs grandchild and he said that his daughter would not be banking. He said if you were my daughter I would tell you the same its a waste of money. The chance of you being able to use the blood are very slim.
Same here
BFP #1 EDD 08/07/11 DS born 07/27/11 Welcome Mr. Smiley!
BFP #2 05/28/12 EDD 02/03/13 Natural M/C 07/14/12 10w6d
BFP #3 10/02/12 EDD 06/11/13 Please stick baby! Stick!
We will be banking privately. Unfortunately, my family has been in a position to need a transplant and it was successful and it was done with their own cord blood (so for the OP who said you can't use your own, that is completely untrue). Therefore, there is no question in my mind that it is worth every penny. Also, the whole concept of private banking is that you have YOUR OWN cord blood there if you need it. You don't get somebody else's, you get your own. And private banking is regulated, just not in the same way as public banks. It doesn't make the regulation better or worse, only different. In addition, my OB strongly recommends private banking as do my SILs, both MDs.
With all of that said, we are going with Viacord mostly because they have the most transplant experience. My SILs both banked all of their kids cord blood through Viacord as well. StemCyte was the other company recommended by my OB. The costs are fairly straightforward and are on the websites. The only "hidden" cost (and nothing to do with the bank itself) is that my OB charges $200 extra (not covered by insurance) to do it.
To the poster who pointed out the flaws in private banking, you're my hero for phrasing this so clearly. I wish more parents understood this and what a racket the private companies are. A very good friend of ours is a pediatric bone marrow transplant specialist and would agree with every word you're saying. She said that she hasn't seen ONE instance where the child's cord blood could be used from the private banking and that the cell counts are often inadequate, although they continue to charge.
In addition, I'm a pediatrician and am often asked to provide recommendations to my patients. I'm a big fan of public banks and have donated my children's cord blood to public banks at each delivery. I would recommend this to anyone and frequently do.