Cord Blood is:

There are two types of transplants:

• May be used to treat more than 80 diseases*
• Easy to collect at birth: It is quick, non-invasive and poses no risk to mother or baby
• Peace of mind, in the event you or your family ever needs to use these stem cells
• Difficult to find an alternative match for the children of mixed race couples
• Recommended to store when there is a history of disease which is treatable by cord blood stem cells

Parents should consider their cord blood banking options while pregnant

The following choices are available in Canada:

Family (Private) Cord Blood Banking

Families choose to store their baby’s cord blood stem cells for their family to use in the future.
The majority of cord blood samples stored in Canada are through family (private) cord blood banks. Parents choose to store their baby’s cord blood to ensure future access if needed.

Public Cord Blood Banking

If parents decide not to store their baby’s cord blood in a family bank, they may choose to donate their baby’s cord blood to a public bank. It may be used in research or for medical treatment for people in need. There is no cost to parents and they relinquish their rights to the sample. For more information visit: victoriaangel.org.

Do Nothing

Precious cord blood stem cells are discarded as medical waste.