A cord blood bank is a place where the cord blood is stored in special bags and in special containers where they can be stored for a long time and can be retrieved in case of a need.
According to wikipedia.org, Both private and public cord blood banks have developed since the mid- to late-1990s in response to the potential for cord blood transplants in treating diseases of the blood and immune systems. Public banks accept donations to be used for anyone in need. Unlike private cord blood banking, public cord blood banking is supported by the medical community.
Once someone decides to use a cord blood bank, one can use a public or private cord blood bank. While a public cord blood bank offers most of the services for free, in case of a private cord blood bank, the storage services are available for a fee and the cord blood will be reserved for the donor whenever he requires it for his treatment or for his family. In both cases donations are free of charge.
A cord blood bank also maintains a list of the cord blood available with the tissue type information. This is required for anyone who is looking for a suitable matching cord blood. The cord blood can then be requested from the bank, retrieved ,and then used for the transplant operation.
Generally, an expectant mother interested in donation should contact the bank before the 34th week of pregnancy. The National Marrow Donor Program has a list of public cord blood banks on their website. Once the blood is donated, it loses all identifying information after a short period of initial testing. Families are not able to retrieve their own blood after it has been donated.
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