What are the risks of donating stem cells?
Peripheral blood stem cell donation The risks of this type of stem cell donation are minimal. Before the donation, you’ll get injections of a medicine that increases the number of stem cells in your blood. This medicine can cause side effects, such as bone pain, muscle aches, headache, fatigue, nausea and vomiting.
Is cord blood a mother or baby?
Cord blood is the blood left in the umbilical cord after a baby is born. The umbilical cord is the rope-like structure that connects a mother to her unborn baby during pregnancy. It contains blood vessels that bring nourishment to the baby and remove waste products.
What is special about cord blood?
Cord blood contains cells called hematopoietic stem cells. These cells can turn into any kind of blood cell and can be used for transplants that can cure diseases such as blood disorders, immune deficiencies, metabolic diseases, and some kinds of cancers. Research is revealing more and more ways it can save lives.
What diseases does cord blood treat?
Diseases Treated with Cord Blood
- Malignancies. Leukemia, Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma, Hodgkin’s disease, Retinoblastoma, Solid tumors.
- Blood Disorders. Sickle cell anemia, Thalassemia Aplastic anemia, Fanconi anemia, Diamond-Blackfan anemia, Amegakaryocytosis Histiocytosis.
- Other Diseases.
Is it worth saving cord blood?
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics don’t recommend routine cord blood storage. The groups say private banks should be used only when there’s a sibling with a medical condition who could benefit from the stem cells.
How much is it to bank cord blood?
Private cord blood banking can be expensive. Depending on the bank, current promotions and whether you’re storing cord blood, cord tissue or both, initial processing fees can run from roughly $500 to $2,500, with annual storage fees of $100 to $300 each year thereafter.