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 As you consider storing your child’s cord blood, you have the following options:
Private or Family Banking
- Help for your family. In family, or private banking, a family chooses a private bank to store their baby’s cord blood for their own family’s use.
- Availability of your baby’s cord blood unit. Your baby’s cord blood stem cells are available whenever and wherever they are needed.
- Storing a perfect match. The cord blood stem cells will always be a perfect match for your child and, because they are related stem cells, have an excellent chance of matching with siblings or other family members.
- Typical cost. On average, families can pay from $1,500 to $2,000 for the collection and storage of their baby’s cord blood stem cells. Xytex Cord Blood Bank offers a competitive pricing plan.
Public Donation
- Help for any family. When you publicly donate, your child’s cord blood is made available for use by any patient in need of a stem cell transplant. The National Marrow Donor Program website maintains a list of sites that accept public donations. Public donation sites may be limited in some states.
- Availability of others’ cord blood units. When you publicly donate, you will not be able to retrieve your baby’s own cord blood stem cell unit, should it be needed in the future. However, other publicly donated units may be available.
- Finding a match. While public banks maintain millions of stem cell units, not every patient succeeds in finding a perfect match, especially those from racially and ethnically diverse communities. More than 6,000 people every day are seeking a bone marrow or cord blood match for transplant.
- Typical cost. There is no cost when you publicly donate your baby’s cord blood. However, should someone in your family need a stem cell transplant in the future, public banks typically charge between $15,000 to $25,000 to release a single stem cell unit. This cost may be covered by insurance.
What Happens If I Don’t Bank?
When cord blood is neither privately banked nor publicly donated, it is simply discarded. Because more than 6,000 people every day are waiting for a stem cell transplant, we always encourage families to look into options for banking their child’s cord blood cells, whether privately or publicly, rather than throwing away these important, potentially lifesaving cells.
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Client Testimonials
"While pregnant with our first child, I learned that close relatives had stored their daughter’s cord blood, so I also decided that this was a small price to pay for peace of mind in the event of a future medical need for stem cells. Education about cord blood storage is a must, so I am campaigning to get obstetricians and midwives to give patients information early in their pregnancy. It’s a shame to miss this opportunity."
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