cord-blood-testing-and-banking
Reviewed
Cord blood is the blood left in the umbilical cord after a baby is born. Cord blood testing checks the baby's health by measuring blood gases, bilirubin, blood culture, complete blood count, blood glucose, or drug exposure. Cord blood banking saves the blood so stem cells can be used to treat certain blood disorders, cancers, and inherited immune or metabolic disorders. The blood is collected after the cord is clamped and cut, with no change to the birth experience.
Preparation and collection
For cord blood testing, no preparation is needed. For cord blood banking, plan at least three months before the due date: decide between public donation or private banking, check hospital collection options, complete medical history paperwork, and obtain a collection kit if using a family bank.
Understanding this test
Use the reference interval and units printed by the laboratory that performed the test. A result outside that interval is not a diagnosis by itself, and a result inside it does not rule out every condition. Your symptoms, history, medicines, timing, and related tests can change what the result means.
- Cord blood testing results must be interpreted by a healthcare professional; reference intervals and units are not provided in the source.
- For cord blood banking, the conditions currently treated with stem cells from cord blood are not common, so most privately banked cord blood is never used.
- If a child later needs stem cell treatment for a genetic disorder or cancer, their own cord blood stem cells may not be usable because they carry the same genes or pre-cancerous cells.
What to do next
For cord blood testing, discuss any abnormal results with your baby's provider. For cord blood banking, talk with your provider about your options at least three months before your due date.
Evidence source
U.S. National Library of Medicine: cord-blood-testing-and-banking