" Cord blood is one of the greatest achievements and advances in medicine (...), it is what medicine should strive for in its development." These are the words of Prof. Mariusz Zimmer, president of the Polish Society of Gynecologists and Obstetricians on cord blood banking. How does the whole process of securing stem cells-an invaluable gift for your children-follow and look like?
Stem cells are used in many fields of medicine and can be used to treat nearly 80 serious diseases. They are used mainly in hematology to treat leukemia and lymphoma, but also in neurology and neurosurgery, where the continuity of a severed spinal cord can be restored with them. Recent studies report that stem cells can also be used in autism therapy or during bone regeneration. This is a very developing branch of science, and probably in a few dozen years the range of possibilities will be even greater than today.
Cord blood collection is a completely safe and non-invasive procedure that is performed daily in many hospitals, and more and more families are opting for it.
So how does the cord blood banking process work?
- The mother-to-be should report in 3. trimester of pregnancy to the family stem cell bank to select the coverage tailored to the needs of her children and family and enter into a contract for cord blood banking under the selected option.
- After signing the contract, Parents will receive the selected intake kit, which you need to take with you when going to the birth and give it to the midwife before the birth
- Regardless of the route of delivery, whether it is a natural childbirth or cesarean section, immediately after the unbuttoning, i.e. cutting off the umbilical cord, a previously trained midwife collects the remaining umbilical cord blood with a needle This is a several-minute procedure that is completely safe and painless for both mom and baby. It does not adversely affect the condition of the newborn.
- This material is then transported to the central laboratory in Warsaw.
- In the laboratory, the blood is tested, among other things. for the presence of viruses, bacteria and fungi in the sample, after which it is placed in special cassettes and frozen to -190 degrees.
- Stem cells are stored in liquid nitrogen until needed. It is recognized that frozen stem cells can be stored indefinitely. They can be used not only during the illness of the child from whom they were taken, but also when his siblings become ill. By banking cord blood, you ensure the health of all your children. In addition, by storing cord blood, the time to start treatment is shortened, and there is no need to look for a donor – one uses one’s own stem cells, which have been taken previously.
Cord blood preservation is quick, painless and completely safe. Blood is used, which would otherwise be sent for disposal after birth, and all the unique properties of the stem cells wasted.
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