Cord Blood Banking Cost - Getting to know your options

Curious about what to expect as far as cord blood banking cost? Are you pregnant and looking into possibly donating or storing your umbilical cord blood?

Well first off, what you are looking into is an absolutely wonderful thing whether your interest is due to a current medical need that you or perhaps someone that you love is currently dealing with, you are simply trying to protect you and your loved ones for an unknown future or you have decided that you want to help someone else who is dealing with a serious medical condition, in this generously and life altering way. Here you will find out what the average cord blood banking cost is and what circumstances may come into play as well as some of the choices that are available to you and how it is used to help you and others.

What you Should Know About Umbilical Cord Blood Donation:

A donation of this nature can be a life saving one. The blood-forming cells (also known as a blood unit) collected from the umbilical cord and placenta can be used for patients in cases when a transplant of allogeneic cells (otherwise known as donated cells that did not come from the recipient) are most appropriate or a familial match can not be made. These umbilical cord blood donations can also be used for personal use only (at your cost) to treat illnesses that may come about in the future for yourself or other family members.

Cord Blood Banking Cost For Exclusive Family Use:

If you have decided on storing your blood unit, collected during birth, for personal use by you or a loved one then you will find that there are a few things that will come into play. The first breakdown that you will find below will explain the costs of saving it for possible future use by you or your family when there is no known immediate need (Exclusive No Immediate medical Need).

Cord Blood Banking Cost For Exclusive Use with No Immediate Medical Need:

The cost of cord blood banking, if you have chosen to store it using a private family blood banking facility, will vary based on your place of residence as well as the individual company or service that you go with. However those costs typically average somewhere between $900 and $1500 but can be as high as $2500. The good news is that these fees will usually include both the collection fee as well as the storage fees for storing the umbilical cord blood for a preset period of time.

If storage is required beyond the preset time agreed upon you may be required to pay additional storage costs at that time. However, the extended cord blood banking costs only average in the vicinity of $100 to $200 a year.

Cord Blood Banking Cost for Exclusive Use with an Immediate Medical Need:

If you currently have a family member suffering from a disease or illness such s Lymphoma, sickle cell anemia etc. that can be treated using your stem cell rich donation then there is a chance that the cord blood banking cost may be little to nothing at all. This is what is called a directed donation and many public and private facilities and or other companies will offer collection and storage free of cost under these circumstances. If you are unable to find these services for free then the cord blood banking cost that you will likely encounter under the circumstances above will typically average around $1000 depending again on your location and the banking services that you have chosen to use.

Cord Blood Banking Cost when Donating to a Public Cord Blood Facility:

If you have decided to participate in umbilical cord blood donation to help whoever may be in need of this stem cell rich gift then you are not likely to incur any cost what so ever. If you have made contact, prior to your pregnancy due date, with a fetal cord blood collection and or storage program then you have probably already learned that they will not charge you for preservation or the storing of your umbilical cord-blood.

There are also programs available if you meet specific eligibility requirements that allow your cord blood donation to be added to the National Marrow Donation Program (NMDP) which then tags and stores your donation for use with individuals who may not have a matching donor or who may have other matching difficulties based on race, ethnicity, ailment or other affecting factors such as a timing urgency. Your cord blood donation to a banking center won't cost you anything but it can mean everything to someone with a serious illness such illnesses as: sickle cell anemia, leukemia and many other blood-borne disorders that can be treated by using a cord blood transplant.

Cord Blood Banking Cost if you’ve decided to Donate it for Research Purposes:

You will not incur any cord blood banking cost at all if you should decide to make a donation for the purpose of advancing research studies. Many different companies and facilities have extensive ongoing studies designed to find all the potential health benefits and uses of cord-blood – whether it be treating, preventing or curing medical disease and disorder or simply just for advancing knowledge - for this purpose they are willing to collect and store it free of charge.

Something Worth Noting Regarding Cord-Blood Banking Costs and Programs:

Regardless of what reason or reasons you are interested in the preservation of cord blood something that you need to keep in mind is that it is best if you get started early – meaning contact your local hospital or the banking facilities and/or other available collection services before your pregnancy due date (several weeks to months prior) preferably no later than your 34^th week. This gives them the opportunity to get a plan set up with you as well as giving you the opportunity to learn about all of your banking options and cost. It is also a safety net for you just in case you have to look outside your general area to find a company who offers the services or the cord blood banking cost that best fits your needs because not all hospitals participate in the collection program and not all banking services and programs are open to both private and public donations.

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