Frequently Asked Questions
Once you start looking into banking your baby’s cord blood, you may have a number of questions. We’ve put together a simple guide that will help you navigate through some of the most common questions regarding the decision to preserve cord blood stem cells.
FAQ #1 – How long can cord blood be stored?
FACT: Once cryopreserved, your baby’s stem cells will remain viable for a lifetime.
FAQ #2 – Can I choose to delay cord clamping if I bank cord blood?
FACT: Yes! You can choose to delay cord clamping even if you bank cord blood and/or cord tissue. Several scientific studies have looked at the impact of delayed clamping on the number of stem cells collected. The consensus is: delayed clamping will not significantly affect the yield of stem cells that you can harvest from the cord blood.
FAQ #3 – Can stem cells be used to treat diseases other than blood diseases?
FACT: Yes! Physicians have been using cord blood transplants for more than 30 years to treat over 80 different diseases. The list includes blood disorders, metabolic disorders, immune disorders and cancers. You can find a full list of these diseases here.
In addition, there are more than 1000 clinical trials exploring the potential of using stem cells to treat neurological disorders, cancers and heart disease. Check out our clinical trials page to learn more.
FAQ #4 – What are the chances that my baby will use his/her stem cells later in life?
FACT: Since the first cord blood transplant, cord blood stem cells have been used to treat over 80 deadly diseases. With over 1000 clinical trials currently focusing on stem cells for treatment of diseases ranging from cancers to heart disease, the number of diseases treatable with stem cells will continue to rise during your child’s lifetime. Based on published data, a baby born today has an 87% chance of developing heart disease, osteoarthritis, diabetes, stroke or dementia in his/her lifetime.
These statistics coupled with the tremendous advances being made in stem cell research, it is likely that stem cells will be used to treat many more life-threatening diseases in your baby’s lifetime.
FAQ #5 – Why choose Healthcord?
FACT: Regulations for cord blood banks vary by country. It is important to choose a Health Canada registered and approved bank.
Credentials are also important. Accreditation bodies like the AABB, Health Canada and CAP (College of American Pathologists) perform regular inspections of labs to make sure they are meeting the industry standards for laboratory testing and processing. Healthcord is western Canada’s only and largest cord blood bank. Healthcord is proudly Health Canada registered and approved, AABB Accredited, and registered with the CAP cord blood proficiency testing program.
FAQ #6 – What is the difference between private cord blood banking and public cord blood banking?
FACT: Donating cord blood is the same as donating blood. You cannot ask for your baby’s cord blood back when you need it. Also, only a small number of donated cord blood units donated actually become banked and the majority become discarded.
Banking your baby’s valuable cord blood stem cells for private usage by your family guarantees that your child owns his/her cord blood stem cells. This ensures that these valuable cells are readily available over the lifetime of your child for usage by your child or family members whenever it is required.
FAQ #7 – Do I need to bank the cord blood of my second child if I had already banked it for my first child?
FACT: Your child’s cord blood stem cells are a perfect match for himself/herself with no chance of rejection. While it is also a high match for other family members, the chances of it matching a sibling is around 50%. Banking the stem cells for each child guarantees that they will have their own stems cells readily available for their lifetime.
FAQ #8 – Could I bank my child’s cord blood if there is no family history of disease?
FACT: Yes! Cord blood banking is intended to be a health insurance for your child for treating diseases later in life. Many of the conditions treated with stem cells don’t run in families. This means family history of illness is not a reliable source, when choosing to preserve newborn stem cells.
Also, with the rate stem cell research is advancing, it’s likely that they will be used to treat many more diseases in the future. So, by choosing to preserve their stem cells, you essentially give your baby access to therapies that don’t even exist yet.
Cord Blood Banking
Cord blood is the blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta after birth, and contains rare stem cells that have many potential medical applications. Click here to learn more about cord blood and how it can help to protect the future health of your family.
Stem cells are ‘master’ cells from which all other cells, tissues, and organs in the body are derived. Although present in large quantities in the developing fetus, stem cells begin to diminish soon after birth. There are almost no circulating stem cells in adult blood. Cord blood is the only non-invasive method of collecting early stage fetal and embryonic stem cells from an individual.
Scientists have harnessed the ability of stem cells to turn into any other cell type in the body to replace damaged or missing cells, an approach that is collectively referred to as “cell therapy”. To date, over 80 life-threatening diseases, including cancers and genetic disorders have been treated with stem cells, with many additional diseases being researched. Learn more about current stem cell applications and how they can help your child in the future.
Stem cells are early stage cells which have the capability of differentiating into many different cell types. Stem cells have been used in the treatment of numerous diseases, including cancers and genetic disorders. Find out more about current treatment options using stem cells (here) and how they are being explored in clinical trials for future applications (here).
Cord blood stem cells from your baby will be a perfect match to him/her when it is needed. Harvesting of cord blood is safer and more efficient than harvesting bone marrow from a donor. Once banked, it will become readily available whenever needed, with little or no chance of rejection. Furthermore, cord blood stem cells are not only a perfect match to your baby, but it has an increased probability of a match for the baby’s siblings and can potentially be used for the baby’s parents or grandparents.
At the moment, stem cells are used in the treatment of over 50 cancers, immune disorders, and genetic disorders. As technology progresses, it is likely that the field of stem cells therapy will become more advanced, and the future uses of stem cells can be limitless. Research in stem cell therapy include usage for treatment of heart diseases, spinal cord damage, stroke, diabetes, and muscular dystrophy.
Graft versus Host Disease is a disease which can occur after a bone marrow transplant. By banking a child’s cord blood, this disease is prevented because the cord blood is a perfect match to your child and is not donated from a different individual. This will increase the survival rate of the recipient and ensure a greater chance that the transplant will be successful.
Your child’s cord blood stem cells are only present during birth. By choosing to save your child’s cord blood stem cells, you will have the peace of mind that these precious cells are preserved and readily available in the event that your child or another family member needs them in the future. If the cord blood stem cells are not banked, these precious cells will be discarded after birth. By banking your child’s cord blood, you will be able to take advantege of the medical treatments that are currently available using stem cells as well as emerging stem cells treatments that will become available in the future.
Cord blood is collected by your physician from the umbilical cord and placenta immediately after the birth of your child.
After your child is born, the physician will cut the umbilical cord. Your physician will collect the cord blood from the umbilical cord and placenta using special blood bags. The blood bags and all necessary supplies for proper cord blood collection is provided in Healthcord’s Cord Blood Collection Kit. After the cord blood is collected, your physician will package it in the Healthcord Cord Blood Kit for delivery to Healthcord for processing and banking.
HLA matching is used to ensure that there is a match between a donor and recipient to prevent the chance of rejection of the donated cells. If you choose to bank your child’s cord blood, you will eliminate the possibility that the donated stem cells are not HLA matched to your child. Stem cells from your child will always be a perfect match to you child. By banking your child’s cord blood, your child’s own stem cells will be ready for use at all times during the lifetime of your child.
There is a high probability that your child’s cord blood stem cells can be used for siblings and other family members. Your child’s cord blood stem cells will be a perfect match to your child. However, it may also be very useful for other members of your family. There is a 25% chance that your child’s cord blood can be used for one of his/her siblings, and there is also a high chance that your child’s cord blood stem cells can be used for parents or grandparents.
Cord blood is intended to be used for the donor child and in some cases, the sibling of the child. While the odds of a tissue type match to a grandparent, uncle, aunt, cousin, or any other second degree relative is greater than a random match in the population, the probability is still low. Therefore it is not advisable to store cord blood for that reason alone.
There is always a chance that a child or other family member may develop an illness or cancer which will require stem cell therapy. Banking a child’s cord blood is a preventative measure for peace of mind and security. Once your child’s precious cord blood stem cells are banked, they are safe, they are a perfect match to your child, and they are ready for immediate use upon request in the event that the stem cells are ever required.
Your child’s cord blood is reserved for your family’s use, and you have full control over its usage while your child is a minor. Once your child reaches the age of majority, the stem cells belong to your child, and you child will have full control over the use and storage of the stem cells.
In the event that your child ever requires stem cells, it is often difficult or even impossible to find a perfect match from a bone marrow donor or the umbilical cord blood from another donor. Your child’s own stem cells are a perfect match to your child with no chance of rejection. By banking your child’s cord blood, you are ensuring that your child will have a supply of his/her own stem cells which are a perfect match to himself/herself which can be used for transplantation and therapy without fear of rejection or the inability to find a matching donor in time to treat the disease.
Cord Tissue Banking
Cord tissue refers to the umbilical cord itself, and cord tissue banking refers to the preservation of stem cells from cord tissue. Healthcord offers the option to bank both cord blood and cord tissue.
Cord tissue is the source of a different kind of stem cells known as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). They have properties that are different from the hematopoetic stem cells isolated from cord blood and are being explored for their potential to treat diseases involving cartilage, muscle, bone and nerve cells.
Just like with cord blood, cord tissue is collected after birth. The process is easy and painless. After delivery the umbilical cord is clamped and cord blood is collected at this point. Once the cord is cut, your doctor will collect as much of the umbilical cord tissue as possible and place it in the cord tissue collection vessels with storage media and antibiotics.
At the moment cord tissue stem cells are being explored for their potential to treat diseases in clinical trials (here). Scientists working hard on developing more therapies using MSCs in the future.
Your child’s cord tissue stem cells can only be collected at birth. By choosing to collect both cord blood and cord tissue you are taking one extra step to ensure that you are preserving valuable stem cells for the future use of your child. By banking both types of stem cells you are ensuring that your child will be able to take advantage of the medical treatments that will become available in the future.
As with cord blood stem cells there’s a high probability that your child’s cord tissue stem cell will be a match to other family members. Since cord tissue matching is less stringent than cord blood matching parents have a 100% chance of being compatible, 75% for siblings and 25% chance of a match for grandparents.
Cord Blood Banking – Before Delivery
The cord blood is collected immediately after the birth of your child and after the umbilical cord is cut.
After the child is born, the umbilical cord is cut and clamped, and the cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord and placenta using a needle and blood bag.
The cord blood collection procedure is safe and very simple and only takes a few minutes to complete. Most physicians are familiar with cord blood collection, but in the event that your physician is not familiar, a complete protocol is included in the Healthcord Cord Blood Collection Kit. If your physician has any questions, he or she is able to contact Healthcord directly at any time.
The closed blood bag technique is the latest method of cord blood collection, and it is the method of choice because it is sterile and efficient compared to older techniques. Healthcord has implemented the closed blood bag technique for all collections.
The collection process takes place after the child is delivered and the umbilical cord is cut, so the cord blood collection procedure is absolutely safe for both the mother and the child.
The cord blood can be collected even if the child is delivered by C-section. This procedure is safe for both the mother and the child. Full protocols and supplies for vaginal and C-section delivery are included in all Healthcord Cord Blood Collection Kits.
Shipping Cord Blood
Healthcord is able to efficiently process and store cord blood from clients from outside of Canada.
Your Cord Blood Collection Kit will include all the necessary information you require to ship your cord blood to Healthcord in the required time-frame. Healthcord typically offers several options for shipping, and you can choose the price and convenience level that suits your family. If you have any specific questions about shipping, a Healthcord representative will be glad to help you. The Healthcord lab is operational 365 days a year to ensure that your sample is stored in the best possible condition.
Yes, upon completion of processing, an e-mail will be sent from Healthcord to your specified e-mail address. Healthcord will issue a formal report with your test results and a certificate for your baby’s paediatric records.
Cord Blood – Processing & Storage
Healthcord tests for all required infectious diseases. Healthcord furthermore takes the extra measure of testing for all cord blood collections. This ensures the highest quality of cord blood samples. The cord blood is tested for the following panel of infectious diseases:
- anti-HIV1/2
- Anti_HTLV
- HbsAg
- anti-HBc
- anti_HCV
- syphilis
- CMV
Yes, Healthcord is able to accept cord blood which is currently stored with other cord blood banking companies. Please contact Healthcord directly to make arrangements for the transfer.
Immediately after the cord blood is received it is processed for long term storage. The cord blood is volume reduced to isolate the stem cells and to remove the plasma and red blood cells. The sterility of the sample is tested and the maternal sample is tested for infectious diseases. A viability test and stem cell count are also performed on the sample. The sample is then cryogenically frozen and cryogenically stored and preserved for long term preservation.
Yes, once your child’s cord blood is successfully banked, you will be notified by a Healthcord representative. You will also receive a certificate indicating the successful storage and banking of your child’s sample. The certificate will include the stem cell quantity and storage conditions.
After collection, the cells are viable 48 hours at room temperature. Healthcord requires approximately 4 hours to process the cord blood for storage, so it is pertinent that the cord blood be received by Healthcord within 44 hours of collection.
Healthcord’s Quality System and state-of-the-art equipment make us an industry leader in the field of cryogenic technology. Healthcord’s fully equipped laboratory and testing facility is capable of processing and performing all key components of the procedure in house. This ensures the highest level of Quality Control and the fastest and most efficient processing. Healthcord is one of the only private banking facilities in Western Canada to be founded by doctoral Ph.D scientists, ensuring the highest level of quality and the latest technology for your peace of mind.
Studies have demonstrated that cryogenically frozen stem cells retain their viability following fifteen years of cryogenic storage. Extrapolation based upon a half-life model suggests that stem cells can be cryopreserved for the lifespan of a patient.
Healthcord’s cryogenic facility is fully equipped with the latest state-of-the-art cryogenic equipment. The laboratory is alarmed and the cryogenic storage equipment are monitored and alarmed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Back-up systems are also in place. Healthcord’s strict quality control protocols and policies exceed AABB requirements, ensuring the highest level of security for your child’s cord blood.
If you move or change your address, please notify Healthcord so that your file can be updated with your latest contact information. It doesn’t matter where you move, even if it is overseas, Healthcord will still be able to securely bank your sample and release it to you immediately upon request.
Cord Blood – Application & Use
You may retrieve your child’s cord blood quickly and easily at any time by contacting Healthcord. Healthcord will immediately provide you with a release form. Simply sign the form and indicate the physician and hospital name and address that you would like us to send your cord blood unit. Healthcord and the hospital will work out all of the details to have your cord blood quickly transferred for immediate use.
Healthcord does not charge for any of the preparations involved in releasing your child’s cord blood. You will only be charged for the shipping expenses for transporting the cord blood unit to the hospital.
Registering with Healthcord
You may register with Healthcord at any time during your pregnancy. It is highly advisable to register at least a few months prior to your delivery date to ensure that you are properly set up in the event that the deliver occurs earlier than expected. Once you register with Healthcord, you will receive a Healthcord Cord Blood Kit within 48 hours. The kit contains everything you need to proceed, and must be brought with you to the hospital during your delivery.
You may register quickly and easily with Healthcord by one of the following:
- Register online
- Call Healthcord at 1.888.802.0706 to register by phone.
Healthcord offers a panel of plans and payment options for its cord blood banking services to suit your needs. Click here to view Healthcord’s pricing.
Healthcord can bank the cord blood from more than one child for situations involving multiple births.
Yes. Your child’s cord blood will be a perfect match to himself/herself, but may or may not match a sibling. By banking the cord blood of each child, you will have the peace of mind in knowing that each child will have his/her own cord blood stem cells which will definitely be a perfect match to that child.
Health Questionnaire
Complete Part A of the Health Questionnaire (HQ) at your earliest convenience, ideally before you give birth. Bring the HQ to your doctor at one of your final appointments before delivery (within one month of your expected due date) and ask your doctor to complete Part B (note that some doctors may charge an additional amount for completing forms). After giving birth, sign and date Part A after verifying that your health status did not change.
Additional Questions
Yes, if you have more than one account with us, you can contact us to help you create a master account. We can also help you to consolidate the payments for all of the accounts into one invoice.
You will receive a second account once you bank another child’s cord blood with us. Healthcord will be able to consolidate the accounts into a single master account, but each account will remain separate. This is especially important once the children reach the age of maturity as the cord blood will then belong to each child.
A Precious Gift of a Lifetime
Registering for stem cell banking takes only a few minutes.
A Precious Gift of a Lifetime
Registering for stem cell banking takes only a few minutes.
