Tuesday, July 18, 2006

What is cord blood and why is it valuable?


Cord blood is the blood that is found in the umbilical cord and placenta after a child is delivered. Unless you choose to bank your child's valuable cord blood, these valuable cells will be thrown away after the birth of your child. Cord blood is special because it contains high concentrations of medically important cells known as stem cells. There is only once in the lifetime of a child that his/her cord blood is available for banking. After the birth of your child, you have the opportunity to save and preserve these valuable cells in the event that your child or someone else in your family needs them later on in life to treat a disease.