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Cord Blood Information

The joy of your baby’s birth could be shared with someone who has a life-threatening illness.

After a baby is born, the umbilical cord and placenta are no longer needed and are usually discarded. However, the blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta is rich with blood-forming cells. (These cells are not embryonic stem cells.) By collecting and freezing this blood, the healthy blood-forming cells can be stored and may later be used by a patient who needs them.

Patients with leukemia, lymphoma, or certain inherited metabolic or immune system disorders have diseased blood-forming cells. For some patients, an umbilical cord blood or bone marrow transplant (also called a BMT) may be their best treatment option.

Learn how umbilical cord blood may be able to help a patient in need. 

• The Need for More Cord Blood Donations—Find out why cord blood can be especially promising for patients of racially or ethnically diverse backgrounds and for patients needing a transplant quickly.
• Options for Umbilical Cord Blood Banking and Donation—As expectant parents, learn how umbilical cord blood can help others through public donation, family (private) cord blood banking, or directed donation for a biological sibling.