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Ask Slashdot: Store Umbilical Cord Blood — and If So, Where?

Posted by timothy on from the freezer-at-the-overlook-hotel-is-good dept.

gambit3 writes "My wife and I are expecting our first child in 3 months, and one of the decisions we still have to make is whether to store our baby's cord blood. Even if we decide the upfront cost is worth it, there is still the question of using a public bank or a private one (and which one to trust), and whether to also store umbilical cord tissue for stem cells. Does you have any experience or suggestions?"

63 of 321 comments (clear)

  1. CBR is the one I used by Zondar · · Score: 5, Informative

    I think their website is www.cordblood.com

    You pay an up-front fee for the collection and first year storage, and a smaller fee each year for storage.

    1. Re:CBR is the one I used by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      We used CBR as well. They used to have a program where you could pay for 18 years up front (pricey, but paid off for a while). I did a very small amount of research, and CBR seemed "big enough" to trust to be in business years from now.

      As someone mentioned earlier - donation is cheaper (or free). I was thinking that route, but we have a medical issues in the family so it might come in handy in the future (never know what they might use it for in the future).

    2. Re:CBR is the one I used by DragonTHC · · Score: 3, Informative

      we used CBR for both our children. It's $1800 for collection and the first year.

      each year is $125 or you could pay off all 18 years up front.

      --
      They're using their grammar skills there.
    3. Re:CBR is the one I used by Defenestrar · · Score: 5, Informative
      Note that: "Our state-of-the-art technology is backed by a $50,000 quality service guarantee that your baby's stem cells will engraft if they are ever needed for transplant."

      However the number of likely candidates for cord blood treatment is extremely small (pretty much all experimental and not FDA approved these days). Crop the number of bank withdraws they're likely to receive (very few) by the price they charge per deposit (roughly $2k), and that's not much of a guarantee by the measure of mouth-where-the-money-is. Now if that's a measure of their confidence for a life saving treatment... you might want to double think.

      Secondly, there isn't a single word in their FAQ about the repository technology they are using. Are they storing the cells in -80 freezers or in LN2? What are the stats on half-life and other successful viability studies? Where are the links to successful case studies of cord blood stem cell treatment? They have research links, but most are either still animal studies or non-cord stem cell therapies.

      The point is, they might have a great thing here, but at the moment they're selling vaporware. Sure, it may eventually come out just like Duke Nukem Forever, but it may not be released in time for your child. There's plenty of evidence that most of the stem-cell treatments out there are possible with donor registries (e.g. like bone marrow) or even adult tissue (not even stem cells - I was just at a conference last week where I saw a video of a modified inkjet print out a heart seeded with a patients own heart tissue). The fliers these type of businesses get the hospital and OB/GYN to hand out has a core message of: "it'll be your fault if your baby gets sick and dies if you don't give us a lot of money right now." It's surrounded by fluffy baby graphic design, but their business model should raise a few ethical eyebrows.

      Of course who knows - they might be right. Maybe someone will someday invent a way to use cord blood with today's harvesting techniques (note that the FAQ doesn't say anything about sample freezing until it's already been through the mail) and your baby will die without it... no pressure, right?

      Now on the flip side, I do know people in the repository business and they think this sort of thing has potential to work, but there's already plenty of argument to that effect around here today - so I thought I'd point out the other questions which should be asked.

    4. Re:CBR is the one I used by geekoid · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Putting it into a college fund would have been far more helpful to your children.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  2. Information too late by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Methods are known that can prevent the reproductive process in humans.

  3. Oh really? by GodfatherofSoul · · Score: 5, Funny

    So, this "wife" of yours supposedly had "sex" with you? Whatever! What next mods? Are we going to get stories about Slashdot posters getting tired of their supermodel girlfriends interrupting their Battlefield 3 matches?

    --
    I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
    1. Re:Oh really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Wait, your supermodel girlfriend doesn't play Battlefield 3? You gotta dump that bitch.

  4. Public by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The chance that someone else is going to need your cord blood is way, way higher than the chance that you'll need it for your own family. Give it to the public bank.

    Plus, the private banks are damned expensive.

    1. Re:Public by xyzzy42 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Exactly. This is why my wife and I decided to donate our children's cord blood. Keep in mind that your OB might charge to collect the cord blood (ours did). Many OB's will waive their cord blood fee for donations, but not for private banking.

    2. Re:Public by MozeeToby · · Score: 3, Insightful

      0.25% lifetime probability that your kid will ever need it in their entire lifetime. The math just doesn't work out to make it worth it (IMO) to collect it for their own use, especially given that there are many circumstances where peripheral blood stem cells or bone marrow could be used just as easily and harvested when needed (cutting down that 0.25% even further).

    3. Re:Public by Reapy · · Score: 5, Informative

      If we knew we could have donated at no cost and someone could have used it, my wife and I most likely would have done so. To me the whole thing seemed sort of like a big rip off, or something I'd do if I had excess money laying around. They like to gouge you for a lot of stuff involving your kids, its easy to whip people up into a panic about doing EVERYTHING YOU POSSIBLY CAN TO PREVENT EVERYTHING.

      Either way it feels a shame that it could have been used to help someone instead of it ending up as a puddle on the floor. I guess part of the reason I didn't save it is that there wasn't an urge to collect it if we weren't going to ourselves. If it was that precious hospitals would most likely not let it go to waste.

    4. Re:Public by arth1 · · Score: 2

      Indeed. With $1800 in initial costs and $125 per year after that, you pay $3925 for the first 18 years.
      You'll have much better odds by going to a casino and placing that money on a single roulette number. Then you'd get $141300, which likely would do a lot more good for the kid.

    5. Re:Public by jeffmeden · · Score: 2

      If we knew we could have donated at no cost and someone could have used it, my wife and I most likely would have done so. To me the whole thing seemed sort of like a big rip off, or something I'd do if I had excess money laying around. They like to gouge you for a lot of stuff involving your kids, its easy to whip people up into a panic about doing EVERYTHING YOU POSSIBLY CAN TO PREVENT EVERYTHING.

      Either way it feels a shame that it could have been used to help someone instead of it ending up as a puddle on the floor. I guess part of the reason I didn't save it is that there wasn't an urge to collect it if we weren't going to ourselves. If it was that precious hospitals would most likely not let it go to waste.

      Lord why did my modpoints expire yesterday... This a thousand times! Unless you have a family history of diseases that could *possibly* have a cord-blood style treatment then you are better off just putting all that money into getting more life insurance, odds are better that you and/or your wife will die before your kid hits 18 and I bet they would much rather have a safety cushion to get through college than some frozen blob of bloody tissue that is both unlikely to be needed and if needed unlikely to work.

    6. Re:Public by IndustrialComplex · · Score: 2

      I assume that as they figure out new uses they will also figure out methods that dont require cord blood and can work with adult stem cells or improved cloning.

      There is also the issue that many of the things which stem cells could assist with are genetic issues and therefore your own stem cells arent much of a solution.

      --
      Out of modpoints but really liked a post? 1BDkF6TtmmeZ3yqXbz9yhdYVqRYnwFoXDj
    7. Re:Public by softwareGuy1024 · · Score: 2

      That's also the AMA's recommendation.

    8. Re:Public by Dahamma · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Yeah, here's a great scam idea:

      1. take $4000 from each customer
      2. toss the tissue in a cheap walk in frreezer
      3. when a customer actually needs it, apologize that there was an equipment malfunction, and give them their money back (hell, give them a 10x their money back guarantee - preferably in a contract that waives other legal recourse)
      4. disgruntled customer gives service a bad review. That still means 99.75% (probably way *less* than 0.25% would ever use it, but let's be generous) of your customers are "happy", which is pretty damn good customer satisfaction!

      Except for possibly #2, this sounds surprisingly close to the business plans of the nominally legitimate companies doing this. And even if they are reputable, who's to say a private company will last for 18 years in what seems like a bit of a scam in the first place. I agree with other posters - donate it to a reputable non-profit service and keep the money for something useful.

  5. I'm also interested on this answer by martiniturbide · · Score: 4, Informative

    I used Cryo-cell, since they provide this service in Ecuador. As a company it seems very serious and active, but I had never used the stored cells. I really don't know how well the company will respond once you need it.

  6. Well, this IS slashdot... by Reasonable+Facsimile · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...store it in the cloud.

  7. It's a personal decision, but consider donation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://marrow.org/Get_Involved/Donate_Cord_Blood/Donate_Cord_Blood.aspx

  8. Donate by Elyas · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The scientific benefits are still uncertain, and the statistics as to whether your child would need it are pretty low. Better to donate, save your money, and increase the odds that someone will be helped

  9. Alternative: donate it by __aawmso8327 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That's what we did with our first child, and will do with our second. In addition to the costs associated, banking it is a what-if scenario, and adult stem cells are already starting to show promise. We expect no problems justifying it to ourselves or our kids IF they develop some sort of problem AND first-party cord-blood treatment is the best or only solution for it: we're choosing to help people now, as opposed to potentially helping person later. If the efficacy situation were more apparent to us now, it would be a closer decision.

    1. Re:Alternative: donate it by ColdWetDog · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You would be better off buying lottery tickets for your kids with the money that you're spending. At least there is a chance it could be used for something.

      If you really feel the need to do this, use a public registry that uses the cord blood for real research, not a private company that's just hoping you will pay them every month.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    2. Re:Alternative: donate it by jeffmeden · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You would be better off buying lottery tickets for your kids with the money that you're spending. At least there is a chance it could be used for something.

      Consider that the cost of harvesting cord blood is about $1,500 and storing it per year is about $100. For 18 years you spend $3,300 or 1,100 powerball tickets.

      Odds of winning the powerball are 1,100 to 195,249,054 (0.0000056%)

      Odds of being afflicted with type 1 diabetes and being a part of a case study: 8 in 100,000 (0.00008%)

      So actually, you have better odds of actually needing and using your cord blood. Although, as many have suggested, donating is a noble option too.

      You forgot to roll in there the odds of successful cord blood treatment of your type 1 diabetes...

  10. ViaCord by jcaldwel · · Score: 5, Informative

    My son was born a little over a year ago, and I selected ViaCord as a cord blood bank. We evaluated a few, and they seemed to be more competent than other options. It's important to get the "collection kit" up front, and have it with you in the hospital... at least in my case, the hospital does not provide any of the supplies. Also, your wife will need to make sure that the OB/GYN is aware ahead of time about your decision to store the blood.

    1. Re:ViaCord by waives · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If your child has a bad genetic disorder, chance are that someone else's (healthy) cord blood would be more useful to them. But if no one is going to donate, where will it come from?

  11. People do this? by Nukenbar · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As someone without children, WTF are you all talking about and why do people do this?

    1. Re:People do this? by who_stole_my_kidneys · · Score: 3, Informative

      I actually just saw a special about this, it has something to do with stem cells and if there is a issue later in life, the blood can be used as treatment, much better than donor blood and 100% compatible (because it their own blood)

    2. Re:People do this? by jandrese · · Score: 4, Informative

      Basically, if some stem cell research pans out then you might need some of your own stem cells later in life to actually use it. While there is currently no use for cord blood, the thinking is that in 60 years it might be really useful, and that's when your kid may need it. It's impossible to say what new medical procedures will be available in 60 years, so the whole thing is a gamble. Heck, even if the medical procedures pan out, they may not have a good way of reversing the freezing damage on the cells.

      It's something for optimists with some extra disposable income. There are some pretty sketchy looking cord blood companies out there however, so do your research. Since nobody is making withdrawals from these banks yet, it's hard to tell which ones are real and which ones are scams/incompetent.

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    3. Re:People do this? by Derkec · · Score: 3, Informative

      I believe Cord stem cells are rather "pure" stem cells that are very undifferentiated. Making them ideal for a handful of medical procedures and unspecified future medical procedures that may be created. Generally, this nifty resource is lost right after birth (it's thrown away). So some companies have been created to store them, and provide them to you (or others if donated) in the case one of those rare procedures is required.

      If I recall correctly, you're looking at $500-$1000 to get things going, and a 50-100 annual fee to maintain. This falls under the broader cateogory of stuff sold under the banner of, "You love your baby right? You'd do anything to protect it? Right? You're not a callous evil person."

    4. Re:People do this? by SomeKDEUser · · Score: 4, Interesting

      No, in fact, your cord blood will be irretrievably damaged after a couple years in the freezer.

      There is not a minute chance that putting your cord blood in a private bank will serve any purpose except make the bastards rich. There is none. There is never enough blood that a single cord suffices. The private banks are a scam of epic proportion.

      If you want to do good, you should just donate the cord blood to science. It is a valuable resource for people studying stem cells. And these are the people from whom you will eventually benefit: their research will come back to you in the form of better treatments, or perhaps simply better understanding of biology, which will lead to better treatments.

      A lot of people prefer that the cord bloods end up in the trash can rather than being used in science. Because they are afraid that researchers will put the cells into mice or something. Which of course is exactly what they do, because it is necessary to understand how stem cells behave in living organisms. And the benefits are enormous for everyone.

      TL;DR : public bank if you really want to. Research is a much better use for it at this point.

    5. Re:People do this? by jandrese · · Score: 3, Informative

      Yeah, I personally group those companies down with the "freeze your body and in 100 years they'll have the cures for old age and for freezing and you'll be revived in the future!" places. The advantage is that since you're paying them year after year they will have the operating budget to actually keep running long enough to be useful, unlike those body places that typically run out of money and then just dump the bodies out back. You have to be outrageously optimistic to think that it will pan out though.

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    6. Re:People do this? by compro01 · · Score: 3, Informative

      No, in fact, your cord blood will be irretrievably damaged after a couple years in the freezer.

      Depends on how you define "a couple years". According to Canadian Blood Services (who run the Canadian public cord blood bank), cord blood stem cell transplants after 13 years of storage showed no deterioration in efficacy, though longer term data isn't available yet.

      --
      upon the advice of my lawyer, i have no sig at this time
  12. Not Worth It by weszz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'd say not worth it...

    I have a 2.5 (mine) and a 1.5 year old (foster child) and to me if you would need this I think they would probably have an indication of it before the kid is born. Things are so far along these days with the 4d ultrasounds and such...

    Enjoy fatherhood. every 6 months they get more fun with the first 6 month being more of a family pet than a real person. Now at 2.5 years we are running around the backyard having squirt gun fights and she is coming up with all kinds of crazy views on the world. It goes quickly...

    But yea, if you and the wife are healthy and she took care of herself the past number of months, the chances of ever needing it are very low.

  13. by the time your kid will need it by circletimessquare · · Score: 4, Insightful

    the tech will exist to derive stem cells from an adult

    so you don't need it

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  14. We used ViaCord by Doofus · · Score: 3, Informative

    We used ViaCord for our first, and will be using them for our second. Similar to other services, you pay a collection fee (blood approx $1500, blood+tissue approx $2700) and then a small annual fee for storage.

    It remains unclear to me that cord-tissue preservation will be worth the gamble; the option wasn't available several years ago for our first, but is now. We are debating about whether the extra cost is worthwhile, considering no studies have demonstrated effective therapies using cryo-preserved cord tissue.

    Your mileage may vary.

    Enjoy the adventure with the new one.

    --
    If the Government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; ... it invites anarchy. - Brandeis
    1. Re:We used ViaCord by SomeKDEUser · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Sorry, but you have been scammed. You will never have the opportunity to use the cord: the freezer will make it unusable in a couple years. Also, in the rare cases where it would serve, the reality is that a single cord is rarely enough in any case. It is far better to give the cord to a public bank or simply donate it to science.

      Researchers need your cord blood: it is an extremely valuable resource to them, and can essentially do no good for you.

  15. Unless you're rich, don't bother by sweatyboatman · · Score: 5, Informative

    The cord blood banking industry is right on the border between speculative medicine and outright scam. It's insanely profitable, which is why every doctor's office is littered with pamphlets for competing cord blood banks.

    There's a vanishingly small likelihood that your child will have some otherwise untreatable disease that the cord blood will help with. Most of the things they say cord blood can help with (like genetic defects) actually wont help your child, since the cord blood has the same faulty genetics. The banks also tout the potential for cord blood use in future therapies. However, it's likely that any treatment that uses cord blood would be just as effective using stem cells.

    So what are you banking, in this case? I have no idea. The cord blood might be helpful for your next child, I guess.

    Another thing to keep in mind is in order to harvest the cord blood, you have to cut the cord before it stops pulsating (that is, before all the blood in the cord has reached the baby). There's a growing body of evidence that your baby benefits from this blood, and the cord should be left intact. So banking your baby's cord blood may actually harm your child. Of course, whatever the effect it's unlikely life threatening, but it does seem unnecessary.

    --
    It breaks my pluginses, my precious!
    1. Re:Unless you're rich, don't bother by na1led · · Score: 2

      The industry will try and find any way they can to suck money out of people. Even if you do buy into this, and some day you need it, they'll tell you there was a problem with the blood, or it will cost a fortune to use it. I'd be interested to know how many people actually benefited from this.

      --
      -- By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out.
  16. WTF? by Virtucon · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Seriously WTF!?!?!?

    I've gone through the birth of all five of my children and I've never contemplated anything close to this. Once I pay the hospital bill the birth process is over.. Next!

    --
    Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
    1. Re:WTF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      [...]of all five of my children[...]

      Once I pay the hospital bill the birth process is over.. Next!

      Next ? You might wanna slow down after 5 you know

  17. Re:Drink it by Gripp · · Score: 2, Informative

    do NOT click that link.. some things you can't un-see. ... :( you've been warned.

  18. We thought about it.... and elected to 'donate' it by gus+goose · · Score: 5, Informative

    ... for both our kids. We decided to 'donate' the cord blood (was free, and then you get 'preferential' access later if you happen to need some from the 'bank' later).

    Turns out our kids were both born on Sunday evenings, and they do not collect blood on Sundays.....

    Now I read all sorts of things about keeping the umbilical cord 'whole' for longer helps with anaemia... i.e. letting the cord 'drain' for longer is better for the baby. There's debate about how long the draining should take, but, it precludes the donation of the core blood.

    If I were to be doing it again (and I'm not planning to...), I would talk with the O/B and delay the cutting of the cord for a few more minutes, and then forgo the donation of the blood entirely.

    The prospects of tangible short-term benefits far outweighs the unlikely need for obscure treatments at some uncertain point in the future from some company that may or may not be around when you need them, and they may or may not have destroyed your tissues anyway, for a condition that may (at that time) be curable without cord blood anyway.

    gus

    --
    .. if only.
  19. Public over private by juz · · Score: 3, Informative

    We looked into this for our first kid. My wife is an anesthesiologist so has some idea about this. What we found (at least for Australia in 2006) was: - a public bank service is better than storing an individual's blood. Stem cells are exciting medically because they don't have the same sorts of matching requirements that blood and organs do - there were trust issues withe private operators

  20. College by denbesten · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Take the money you would have spent on this and putit into a college fund. Odds of seeing a return on your investment are much greater.

  21. Who "owns" who by Dareth · · Score: 2, Funny

    So if your hypothetical supermodel girlfriend does play Battlefield 3 with you, who "OWNS" who?

    My non-hypothetical non-supermodel wife is a descent player of Ultimate Mortal Kombat. Though I do think Sonya's leg grab is ultra cheesy!

    --

    I only look human.
    My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling
    1. Re:Who "owns" who by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Marrying an XBox is still illegal in 49 states.Still legal in Alabama, if she converts to Christianity first.

  22. Donate it to your child! by Whorhay · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Seriously, donate it to your own child at their birth. Read up on the benefits of delayed cord clamping. The only situation that I've heard of where it's not worth it is where an emergency arises during the birth that requires the child and mother be seperated ASAP to safe a life. The umbilical cord and placenta contain a significant amount of blood which is the childs. Clamping and severing the cord immediately can basically make the child anemic right off the bat. It only takes a few minutes for the cord to finish transfering that blood to the child, so give it some time. It may also be possible to still harvest the cord for storage or donation but I'm not sure.

    Anyways google "delayed umbilical cord clamping"

    1. Re:Donate it to your child! by LanMan04 · · Score: 2

      Google "Jaundice", which can be a result of dumping too much blood into the kid. Unless you think the baby will be anemic, I'd recommend against it.

      --
      With the first link, the chain is forged.
  23. Let the baby keep it, he/she needs it by beberly37 · · Score: 5, Informative

    When a baby is born, blood continues to flow through the cord for a while giving the baby much needed nutrients. It is common practice for midwifes. Baby comes out, goes straight to mama's bare chest for skin-to-skin heat transfer and up-close pheromones (leaving the naturally protective goo). In a minute or so the chord goes from bright full-of-blood colored to dull gray and empty and it no longer pulses. Clamp and cut the chord then. We did this with our now 7 month old, she was back up to birth weight at the three day check up.

  24. Re:Your Freezer by Dahamma · · Score: 2

    Bizarrely, this isn't necessarily a troll... In China human placenta has long been used in traditional medicine and is becoming a trendy, if somewhat black market, delicacy.

    Personally I think it's a horrible idea - not because of the gross-out factor, but because eating human tissue is an great way to contract human diseases. Do you really want to eat something that comes with test results certifying it is HIV-free? (to quote Dave Barry - I am not making this up).

  25. Re:We thought about it.... and elected to 'donate' by slimjim8094 · · Score: 2

    The current wisdom is to wait until the cord stops pulsing (that is, is no longer connected to the baby's or the mother's blood supply) before clamping and cutting. It seems to make sense - the pulsing indicates that it's "in use".

    Frankly, the whole cord blood seems like a scam to me. It doesn't do any good at the moment, and any suggestions that it eventually will are hand-wavey at best. Add in the large ongoing costs (and substantially larger initial costs), and the implied emotional argument of "you're bad parents if you don't do this" and it seems like Homer's "happy dude" scam. Pay a truckload of money, get essentially nothing in return, and be assured by some company that gladly took that money that it makes you better.

    --
    I have developed a truly marvelous proof of this comment, which this signature is too narrow to contain.
  26. Seconded by LanMan04 · · Score: 2

    We donated the cord blood from both our kids.

    When your kid has a 1 in 400 chance of needing it themselves even ONCE in their entire lifetime...well, I'd rather help someone in need.

    --
    With the first link, the chain is forged.
  27. Re:Drink it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I figured "uterine vag-steak vendine machine" gives it away as an intentionally silly post.

  28. Re:Drink it by Jmc23 · · Score: 2

    Except that multi-vitamins can be over-dosed on and the amount of said vitamins actually being used by your system is questionable. Always better to get your vitamins and nutrients from natural sources.... though I'd hesitate to try placenta anything, though all other animals seem to eat it.

    --
    Don't complain about syntax, grammar, or spelling. There is no.hell like input on android.
  29. Re:Drink it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    And my dog eats its own shit, that doesn't make it a good idea.

  30. Re:Drink it by profplump · · Score: 2

    It's good to know that "natural" sources can't result in an overdose.

  31. Re:Doomed Kid by RichardJenkins · · Score: 2

    Pah! Ask around, solicit conversation, stimulate though. Everyone's the richer.

  32. Yeah, it's a cost-benefit thing by sean.peters · · Score: 2

    It turns out that banking cord blood is really expensive, and you'll almost certainly never need it. We decided it wasn't worth it and donated the blood.

  33. Re:Drink it by geekoid · · Score: 2

    Hint: there was no SCIENCE thousands of years ago.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  34. Donate it, do not store it by MobyDisk · · Score: 3, Informative

    Do not pay to store your own cord blood:
    1) You cannot use your own stem cells any current stem cell therapies. If you have a genetic condition that can be solved with stem cells, you must use cells that do not have the condition. But someone else could use them. It is more likely that you will use someone else's stem cells. The only reason to use your own is in the theoretical future where you can regrow an organ.
    2) It is more likely that someone else will need those stem cells. Paying to have it held for you denies someone else a potentially lifesaving therapy. Imagine paying a company to store your own blood in case you needed it after an accident/surgery. Better to bank it for anyone to use.
    3) Donating the cord blood for anyone to use is free.
    4) Many of the companies that offer umbilical cord blood banking prey on people's fears and operate in unethical ways. Organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics have called-out specific companies for questionable behavior.

    Many hospitals and birthing centers promote cord blood banking because they are convinced by salespeople that it is a smart thing to do. But they often don't know much about it. Do some reading on this before making a decision. Often times doctors give advice about medical treatments that they are not trained on. (Ex: Don't ask an OB/GYN about stem cell procedures any more than you would ask a licensed electrician about a plumbing problem, or a criminal lawyer about copyright law.)

    Start with the Wikipedia article:

  35. FUD by Dr.+Hok · · Score: 2

    We went through all the pros and cons of storing cord blood when our kids were born. Finally we decided against it. It looked too much like a rip-off. We felt that the companies that offered services make a big business out of people's fears. IIRC, it's highly unlikely that your kid will be in a condition to benefit from its stem cells. There was no public service at that time in Germany or I would have considered donating it.

    --
    Say out loud: I'm an Aspie and I'm somewhat proud, I guess. Uh. Can I write an email in all caps instead? Hm...
  36. Re:Drink it by Hognoxious · · Score: 2

    So what's the easy way to eat toadstools?

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."