How Much Does Cord Blood Banking Cost? Is The Cost Worth It Or Not?
Most new parents will do anything within their power to give their newborn child a healthy and happy life. That is why the decision of investing in cord blood banking might seem like a big one in your life. You will not be changing this decision later in your life. Thus choosing an ideal cord blood bank is exceptionally significant. If you are confused about is it worth investing in or what does the cord blood bank costs, this article is perfect for you.
Cost of the Cord Blood Banking Both in Private and Public Banks
Private cord banks store the stem cells of the blood for a fee, in case of any event the family will need it in the future. But private cord blood banks can be quite costly as the initial processing fees vary between 500 to 2500 dollars, based on the conditions if you are storing cord tissue or blood or both, current promotions, and the organization. The average storage fees then range from 100 to 300 dollars every year from that time onwards.
Sometimes private banks also weave some or the entire fees if the client includes a family member who might stand to benefit from the stored cells. However, the criteria for qualification and the discount amount depend on the cord blood bank. Donation to the public bank is for free.
Is the Cost Worth for Cord Blood Banking?
Well, to understand whether the cost of blood banking is worth it or not, you need to know about its various advantages. It will help you understand the real fact in this regard.
• The Blood can save lives.
Cord blood is full of stem cells that can morph any blood cells and treat various diseases that harm the immune and blood system like cancers and leukaemia. It can also cure numerous metabolic disorders and sickle cell anaemia. There are different ways to get the required blood cell for the transplant patients; however, the cord blood is much easier to access if you can bank them at the time of the birth.
• Therapies with cord blood become more successful.
The transplant results have tremendously improved over the past ten years. It is due to the researchers who have learned more ways on how to use cord blood efficiently. It is done by picking better matches and giving proper supportive care to the patient.
• The cord blood will always be accessible.
You will always have access to the cord blood if you invest in storing the stem cells present inside the cord in a private bank. The blood will get reserved for the family. Nobody else will get hold of it or use it. It will also never get allotted to any other family for the transplant or the research. The private cord blood bank costs might be high, but if you save your cord blood in a public bank, anyone compatible with the blood can have it. There is no guarantee that a family who wants it might need that blood during their time of need.
What are the chances of using the blood of the cord in the future?
The chances of using the cord blood shortly are exceptionally low, but the odds are that your child might have a disease that will be treatable with this blood. According to the statistics, there are 0.005 to 0.04% chances that you might need the cord blood within 20 years of your child age. However, various new technologies allow the researcher to multiple the stem cells of the cord blood, but it is quite an expensive procedure.
You can also use the cord blood for your other child or a sibling when they are sick with diseases like leukaemia. If your kid has an illness that can get cured with the stem cell transplant, a sibling who is an exact match can offer their stem cells by undergoing a stimulating treatment. It also depends on the age of the person going through the healing process. We would suggest storing the cord blood in a private bank over the public one, as it will be more secure and easily accessible.