How Long Does Cord Blood Last?

Cord blood is the blood that comes from the umbilical cord formed during pregnancy. It can be stored to use if your child encounters future medical problems, or it can be donated to be used by another person whose blood type matches that of the cord blood. There are several diseases and medical conditions that cord blood has been found to treat, and benefit. Storing cord blood can be a lifesaving decision.

What is Cord Blood?

• Cord blood is the blood that comes from the umbilical cord and placenta. Normally, after a baby is born the placenta and umbilical cord are discarded. However, these organs have been found to carry blood-forming cells. These cells can aid in the healing of many diseases and medical conditions, such as, leukemia, lymphoma and immune disorders. Doctors can retrieve the cord blood and save it for future use and treatments.

How Cord Blood is Collected

• After the birth of your baby, the umbilical cord is clamped. The blood is collected into a sterile bag either before or after the placenta is delivered. The blood is marked and dated, then stored in a temporary storage unit at the hospital of the delivery until it can be delivered to a public cord blood bank. The mother will have her blood tested to make sure she is free of any infectious diseases, and if none are found, the blood is transferred to a public bank.

How Long Can Cord Blood be Stored?

• Cord blood, once it is in its permanent storage state, can last for many years. Research on specimens of cord blood stored for ten to twelve years has shown that there were no signs of deterioration found in the blood. As cord blood storage has a short history, there have not been any further studies done on cord blood stored for longer periods of time. This, however, does not mean that longer periods of storage would necessarily diminish the effects.

Storing Cord Blood

• Cord blood is gradually frozen and cooled to preserve its properties. It is frozen to -196 Celsius. Once it reaches this temperature, it can remain intact and healthy for many years. Research has shown that if the sample is preserved and handled properly, there is no reason why the sample could not remain healthy and viable for twenty to thirty years, maybe longer.

The Benefits of Saving Cord Blood

• Saving and storing cord blood has several benefits. It can be a lifesaving event to have your cord blood collected and stored for future use. In some instances, a cord blood sample does not contain enough blood-forming cells to make it suitable for transfusion. In these cases, the sample can still be used for research into using cord blood or even curing diseases. This alone can be a big benefit of collecting the cord blood.