Health & Pregnancy

Take a Look at Cord Blood Banking for Twins

Cord Blood Banking Options

If you choose to bank cord blood, you can choose a public or private bank. Public banks operate much like blood banks. Cord blood donations become part of a public reserve. A computer registry keeps track of the available cord blood and shows all available matches for a given patient.

Public banks screen donors to rule out disorders or infections that could be passed to a recipient. A public bank will likely ask for a family medical history from you and your twins' father. You might need to provide a blood sample the day after you give birth. Your babies will not need to give blood samples.

Public banks do not charge a fee to collect or store cord blood.

Private banks keep cord blood cells in reserve in case your twins or other family member needs it. Private banks generally charge $1,000 to $2,000 to collect cord blood at the time of delivery, and then charge a yearly storage fee of about $100.

Choosing a Cord Blood Bank

If you decide to donate cord blood to a public bank, ask the hospital or birthing center if it works with a cord blood bank. If not, the National Marrow Donor Program (marrow.org) has a list of registered cord blood banks in each state.

If you want to use a private blood bank, look into the following information to find a facility. Your doctor may have information on private cord blood banks in your area.

• Financial Stability – Is the facility likely to stay in business?           
• Policies – What will happen to your cord blood if the facility goes out of business?
• Practices – Does the facility process a large number of cord blood samples? Large banks are more likely to have good quality control.
• Options – What will happen if you choose to change facilities or if you move?
• Cost – Can you afford the fees for up-front collection and yearly storage? Will the storage fees increase over time?