Health & Baby

Tools & Resources

This article is from the WebMD Feature Archive

Font Size

Assessing Your Need for Umbilical Cord Blood

By R. Morgan Griffin
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Charlotte E. Grayson Mathis, MD

Do you want to bank your child's cord blood as "insurance"?

Many private banks argue that cord blood banking is a form of insurance. The odds are low that your child will ever need it, they say, but the cord blood is there if he or she ever does.

However, a lot of doctors and medical organizations disagree. In their most recent statement on the subject from 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics stated that storing cord blood as a form of "biological insurance" is "unwise" because the benefits are too remote to justify the costs. Besides, cord blood is not the only treatment available for children who develop these diseases.

Recommended Related to Parenting - Baby (0-12 months)

Baby Development: Your 1-month-old

The first year of your new baby’s life is an amazing time. Within just 12 months, your baby will transform from a newborn who is totally dependent on you, to a toddler who is starting to walk, talk, and exhibit the first signs of independence. During the first month, your newborn is just getting used to this big, strange new world. And you are getting used to taking care of your baby’s many needs. Below are just a few of the changes you can expect to see during your child’s first month. It's...

Read the Baby Development: Your 1-month-old article > >

Of course, no one knows how stem cells will be used in the future. Researchers hope that they may be used to treat many conditions, like Alzheimer's, diabetes, heart failure, spinal cord damage, and other conditions.

It's possible that storing your child's cord blood cells now may be useful in combating these diseases one day. But for now, these treatments are only theoretical. It's also not clear if stem cells from cord blood -- as opposed to stem cells from other sources -- will be useful in these potential treatments.