The cord blood donation process & FAQs

When a patient needs a transplant, their doctor will determine the source of cells that best meets their needs. Cord blood is one of three sources of blood-forming cells used in transplant. The others are bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC).

No, they aren’t the same. Umbilical cord blood stem cells are taken from the baby’s umbilical cord and placenta after the baby is born and not from an embryo.

NMDP doesn’t use fetal tissue/embryonic stem cells for transplant or research. We only use cells voluntarily donated and collected from the umbilical cord, which occurs after a full-term delivery where both mother and baby are healthy and safe.

Cord blood can be used to treat over 75 diseases including blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma and disorders of the blood and immune system, such as sickle cell disease and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.

The first cord blood transplant was performed at L'Hôpital St. Louis in France in 1988, using matched sibling cord blood to treat a 5-year-old child with Fanconi anemia. The donor was his newborn sister. The patient is alive and well today.

There's no cost to donate to a public cord blood bank. Public cord blood banks cover the costs of collecting, processing and storing cord blood units. If you decide to use a family cord blood bank, you'll be charged a fee for collection as well as annual storage fees.

Yes! Check out the Parent's Guide to Cord Blood (Opens in a new tab) to learn more.

There are no risks to the mother or baby during the process. The cord blood is removed from the umbilical cord after the cord has been clamped and the baby is being cleaned and cared for.

Public cord blood banking

This option is when you donate your baby's umbilical cord for public use.

• The donated cord blood is available to any patient in need of a transplant; it isn't reserved for your family members.
• There's no cost to you because public cord blood banks cover the fees associated with processing, testing and storing donated cord blood.
• It's collected under strict quality standards to make sure the cord blood unit is usable for transplant. If standards aren't met, the cord blood unit may be used for research to improve the transplant process for future patients, or the unit will be discarded.

Private cord blood storage

If you store the cord blood in a family (private) cord blood bank, it's reserved for your family members. Family cord blood banks are available throughout the country. You're charged a fee for the collection and an annual fee to store the umbilical cord blood.

Private family cord blood collection and storage are subject to different standards and regulations compared to public cord blood banking. While both practices aim to ensure the quality and safety of collected cord blood, the guidelines and oversight for private banking can vary significantly from those governing public banking. It is important to understand these distinctions when considering cord blood storage options. 

Donating cord blood for public use or storing it for your family's private use is a personal decision. You can choose to have your baby's cord blood collected and donated to a public cord blood bank, stored in a family (private) cord blood bank or saved for a biological sibling who has a diagnosed medical need.

Only those cord blood units that meet specific quality standards are processed, frozen and stored until needed by a patient. The specific quality standards the cord blood unit needs to meet are:

• Cord blood must contain enough blood stem cells for a transplant. If there are too few cells, the cord blood unit can't be listed on the registry but may be used in research related to the use of cord blood in transplants.
• The mother's health must meet basic guidelines.
• The cord blood unit and the mother's blood sample must be free from infection or other medical concerns.
• If your cord blood unit meets all the standards, once frozen, it will be listed on the NMDP Registry and accessible to the transplant center doctors who are searching for a match for their patient.

This depends on several factors. If your baby’s cord blood is stored privately and someone in your family need a transplant, your doctor would consider:

• The disease. For some diseases, the patient’s own cells can be used for transplant. However, many diseases treated with transplant may already be present in the baby’s cord blood. For those diseases, a transplant using cells donated from a relative or unrelated donor is the best choice.
• The match between the cord blood unit and the patient. There’s a 30% chance that siblings will match each other. The doctor will determine how close the match needs to be.
• The quality of the cord blood. The cord blood unit must be large enough (have enough blood stem cells) and be free from disease and infection.

For more information, read the American Academy of Pediatrics Frequently Asked Questions about Cord Blood Banking (Opens in a new tab).

No, cord blood stored privately can't be listed on the registry later.

First, check if your delivery hospital partners with a public cord blood bank. If your hospital is listed, contact the cord blood bank for an eligibility assessment.

While not all hospitals collect cord blood, you may still be able to participate through a mail-in donation program. You can find out more from the Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation (Opens in a new tab).

If you’re still unable to donate, there are other ways to get involved and help patients, including fundraising, volunteering and more. After your baby is born, you can also join the NMDP Registry (Opens in a new tab).

If you’re interested in cord blood donation, you should talk to your doctor and contact a public cord blood bank as early as possible.

Your labor and delivery will not be affected in any way. During delivery, the focus is on you and your baby. It’s only after your baby is born that blood is collected from the cord and placenta. No blood is ever taken from your baby.

Yes, you can delay clamping and still donate cord blood. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) recommends a delay of 30-60 seconds between delivery and umbilical cord clamping in healthy, full-term babies. If expectant parents wish to donate or store cord blood, delayed clamping up to 60 seconds should not impact the volume and quality of cells. Expectant parents should discuss options for delayed umbilical cord clamping with their obstetrics provider.

Generally, donors must deliver within the contiguous U.S. (not Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico). Cord blood units need to arrive at a cord blood bank within 48 hours of collection. It’s possible that delays can occur outside the contiguous U.S. due to issues with transportation and shipping. The exception is if you deliver at a participating hospital in Hawaii.

After the cord blood unit arrives at the cord blood bank, it's:

1. Checked for the blood-forming cells needed for a transplant. If there are too few cells, the cord blood unit could potentially be used for research.
2. Tested to be sure it 's free from infection or disease.
3. Tissue typed and listed on the NMDP Registry, a listing of potential blood stem cell donors and cord blood units available for patients in need of a transplant. The cord blood is identified only by a number, never by a name.

Donors usually must be 18 or older, but some states have laws allowing donations from younger women. Check with a public cord blood bank in your area to determine if you can donate.

No, public cord blood banks can only accept donations when one baby is expected. With twins, each umbilical cord has different tissue types, and it’s possible the two cord blood units could be mixed up during collection.

If you have gestational diabetes, you’ll usually be allowed to donate. If you have medication-dependent diabetes, check with a public cord blood bank to determine if you can donate.

If you’ve ever had any type of cancer (including skin cancers), you won’t be able to donate.

It depends on the length of time since you received the transplant. If you received a heart, lung, kidney, blood stem cell or other organ or tissue transplant within the last 12 months, you’re not eligible to donate cord blood . If it’s been more than a year, check with a public cord blood bank to determine if you can donate.

It depends on the facility where the egg or sperm were handled and the medical history of the donor. The donor egg or sperm need to be from a facility that is accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks, and the medical history of the person who donated the egg or sperm must be reviewed by the public cord blood bank.

An abnormal test result from an amniocentesis, blood test or ultrasound or during any other prenatal visit would be considered a fetal abnormality. Some examples include cystic fibrosis; malformed arms, legs, feet or hands; and chromosome abnormalities such as Down syndrome. Also, any genetic predisposition to certain disorders could place a patient at risk and would cause your baby’s cord blood to be excluded from the registry. However, certain minor abnormalities including clubbed feet, cysts on kidneys or a cleft palate don’t exclude you from being able to donate.

Thank you for your willingness to support our mission! You can give hope to patients by:

• Joining the registry (Opens in a new tab) as an adult blood stem cell donor
• Contributing financially to help more patients get the transplant they need
• Signing up for email updates (Opens in a new tab) about how you can help us change lives
• Volunteering with us

No. Only the number identifying the cord blood unit will be listed on the registry. A number will be given to the cord blood unit at the hospital. This number identifies the cord blood unit on the registry and at the public cord blood bank. No name is associated with it.

The public cord blood bank keeps the mother’s name confidential, and it protects the privacy of the family. Names are not shared with any patient or transplant center. The cord blood unit is identified only by a number, which means that you and the patient won’t be able to exchange any personal or identifying information.

The NMDP Registry is a listing of potential blood stem cell donors and donated umbilical cord blood units. Doctors can search the registry to find a match for their patients who need a transplant but don't have a fully matched donor in their family. When you donate cord blood, it's listed on the registry and stored at a public cord blood bank. Cord blood is especially useful when:

• A patient needs a transplant quickly. Sometimes a patient can't wait several weeks or months for a donor to be contacted and the blood stem cells to be collected. Cord blood units are screened, tested and stored in a public cord blood bank, making them ready to use.
• A patient's ethnic background is important in predicting the likelihood of finding a match. Patient outcomes are improved when the cells for transplant closely match the patient. However, studies show that cord blood does not need to match as closely as bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells for a successful transplant
• There is no adult donor who is a close match for a patient.

Studies show that when donated cells closely match a patient, their chances of transplant success improve. Patients are more likely to match someone of the same ethnic background. Increasing the diversity of cord blood units on the registry makes it possible for more patients to receive a transplant. As of 2023, 55% of umbilical cord blood units on the registry were ethnically diverse.