Introduction
Collecting, processing, and storing your baby’s umbilical cord stem cells through cord blood banking is a safe and virtually painless procedure.
This blood from the umbilical cord contains a high concentration of stem cells.
Stem cells possess great ability to heal. Furthermore, the gathering of these cells does not pose any danger or damage to the baby or mother.
Also, cord blood stem cells are purer compared to those from adults. It’s because they’re younger and have had less contact with sickness or environmental influences.
Hence, these cells are beneficial for treatment in hospitals globally.
The treatments also encompass stem cell transplants and new therapies in regenerative medicine. Cord blood banking usually encompasses the complete procedure from gathering to preservation for future healthcare needs. Ultimately, doctors and scientists obtain these stem cells for medical treatment or additional research.
Yet, parents have the option to select either public or private storage. Public banks store the biggest contributions recorded in a database for physicians. However, private banks will require payment from you to store the cord blood as a form of biological insurance.
It aids the infant and their family members for the days ahead. Thus, parents must cover the cost of family storage as a type of biological protection.
Why Private Cord Banks Are Ideal For Would-Be Parents?
Private cord blood banking provides various advantages in the preservation of stem cells.
First and foremost, it ensures an ideal genetic compatibility for your child. Hence, you can utilize the stem cells for a range of specific uses solely for your own family. These objectives consist of healing illnesses or enrolling your child in medical experiments.
Additionally, these stem cells frequently only partially match other relatives. As a result, it enhances their usefulness during a medical crisis.
It is essential to consider that private cord blood banking involves a financial investment. You’ll be required to purchase three services.
- Gathering at the time of labor.
- Handling of the umbilical cord blood.
- Yearly preservation of stem cells.
Fortunately, most private cord blood banks provide assurances.
Consequently, if your child’s stem cells do not successfully engraft, you will receive a significant portion of your deposit back. If you need a donor from a public cord blood bank, the private bank will cover the costs of the transfer.
Finally, various cord blood banks also offer a plethora of discounts and deals for you to reduce the expenses a little. However, it’s important to stay updated about this by visiting their website.
Comparing Cord Blood Banks: AlphaCord And Cells4Life
1: AlphaCord
AlphaCord provides cost-effective choices for storing newborns’ stem cells, such as yearly and prepaid plans lasting 20 years. These plans consist of the following features:
- Kit containing all necessary items.
- Delivery of goods.
- Top-notch processing.
- Testing for quality.
These are the various options provided by the cord blood bank:
- The Cord Blood Only Package includes hematopoietic stem cells that have over 80 applications in transplant medicine. It can also be utilized to treat various forms of cancer and blood illnesses. The price for the installment plan spread over 12 months is $68 per month, which covers the storage fees for the first year.
- The Cord Blood & Cord Tissue package usually includes epithelial, mesenchymal, and endothelial stem cells, offering more treatment options in regenerative medicine.
- The Cord Blood, Placenta, & Cord Tissue package includes all the necessary stem cells to safeguard your family: Cord Blood, Cord Tissue & Placenta.
AlphaCord has worked with many families for almost two decades. They were able to protect their baby’s important stem cells through the storage of cord blood and tissue.
Finally, AlphaCord’s CellsPlus technology, fueled by TotiCyte, improves cord blood processing. It offers a boost of three times of stem cells at the treatment site. This service can be purchased separately or is included in their Platinum and Ultimate packages.
2: Cells4Life
The starting cost at Cells4LifePrivate cord blood bank is £550 initially plus a small yearly charge. Additionally, it enables you to divide the payment into 12 monthly installments. Hence, it reduces the cost of the process.
Cells4Life offers a variety of cord blood banking options for you to choose from.
- Package containing only cord blood: Silver Package.
- Gold Package includes both cord blood and cord tissue.
- Platinum: includes cord blood, tissue, CellsPlus, multiple samples, and dual locations.
- Ultimate: cord blood, tissue, CellsPlus, placental cells and amnion, multiple samples, dual locations, and BabyInsight all included.
Every package includes an Access Plan to ensure that storage is more cost-effective for all users. Cells4Life enables the storage of your cord blood, tissue, amnion, and placental cells in various samples at two different locations. Every category includes potent cells with varying uses, with certain ones being more efficient than others. Storing all the three varieties allows for the widest possible access to stem cells and treatments.
