Understanding umbilical cord blood banking: what women need to know before deciding.

U p b nformation about umbilical cord blood (UCB) banking is surfacing at a very rapid pace. The messages, argely targeted toward women, encourage motherso-be to bank their child’s UCB. Indeed, an everrowing number of Internet sites and magazine adertisements are cautioning women that storing a ewborn’s UCB is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity nd a worthwhile investment that can save their child f it were to ever become necessary. Previously conidered as waste and discarded without second hought, the umbilical cord is now actively being ought for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. tem cells harvested from UCB have successfully been sed to substitute for bone marrow as a source of ematopoietic stem cells for transplants in the treatent of genetic disease, blood malignancies, and mmune deficiencies. The promise of private banking, oupled with pleas from public banks asking mothers o donate UCB for altruistic purposes, can become uzzling for pregnant women. To allow them to make n informed choice about UCB banking, it is imporant that women receive complete and accurate inforation from their obstetrical care providers. The purose of this editorial is to raise awareness about UCB anking. Most important, it focuses on the importance f knowledge in the decision-making process. Women ho know more about UCB banking are more likely o make appropriate choices for both themselves and heir families.