What is umbilical cord blood donation?

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The umbilical cord and placenta are formed during pregnancy to support the growth of a fetus. Both contain blood rich in blood stem cells that have the power to help treat blood cancers and disorders. These blood stem cells are nonembryonic, which means they are not collected from any part of the fetus. Typically, the umbilical cord and placenta are disposed of after birth, but most people have the option to donate them. By choosing to donate your baby’s umbilical cord blood, you’re helping doctors find a cure for patients in need.

Cord blood, bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation are the three ways to collect the blood-forming cells needed by patients.

One of the benefits of cord blood donation is that patients may not need to genetically match an umbilical cord blood unit as closely as they would a bone marrow or PBSC donor. Umbilical cord blood is especially promising for patients who:

• Have diverse ethnic backgrounds. Finding a match has nothing to do with blood type, but is instead based on human leukocyte antigens (HLA). HLAs are inherited and help your body determine which cells belong and which do not.
• Need a transplant urgently. The waiting list for a cord blood donor is usually much shorter because patients don’t need to wait for an adult to go through the entire bone marrow or PBSC donation process.
• Have a life-threatening genetic disorder. Most genetic disorders treatable with a cord blood donation present themselves in adolescence, when a patient's body is the most susceptible.
• Have trouble finding an adult donor on the NMDP Registry^SM

There are some unique aspects of the cord blood donation process you’ll want to be aware of.

• In order to donate your umbilical cord blood to the NMDP public registry, you must deliver your baby at a participating cord blood collection facility.
• There’s no additional recovery time for you or your baby aside from the typical recovery from childbirth.
• Cord blood donation promotes sustainable health care practices by drawing from the cord and placenta, which otherwise would be discarded after childbirth.
• There’s no guarantee your baby’s cord blood will be a match for a patient, but your donation could still help save a life by being used for genetic research.
• By choosing to donate your child’s cord blood, you understand that the donation will be available to be used by anyone, not just your family.

The umbilical cord blood donation process is simple and causes no pain to you or your baby.

• Determine if you’re able to donate:  Most people are eligible to become donors, but there are some exceptions to be aware of.
• Clamping the umbilical cord: If you are eligible to donate, when your baby is born the umbilical cord will be clamped and cut as it normally would after childbirth.
• Collecting the donation: Next, labor and delivery staff will clean and draw leftover blood from the clamped cord.
• Processing your donation: Finally, the collected cord blood will be sent to a cord blood bank for processing. If the donation meets all qualification criteria it will be listed on the NMDP Registry and stored until needed by a patient.

If you still have questions about the donation process or what you should expect when becoming a donor, visit our cord blood donation overview and FAQ.

The decision to donate umbilical cord blood can make the difference in the lives of families impacted by devastating blood cancers and immune disorders. Your donation will help provide a brighter future for children like Lucy, Sosa, and so many others around the globe.