Okay parents and other interested parties…<\/p>\n
Storing cord blood for the stem cells. What I have learned:<\/p>\n
$2000 for initial collection, plus $125\/year, for a total cost at age 21 of around $4600 (assuming the yearly fee remains fixed).<\/p>\n
Estimated 1 in 2,700 chance of being useful to the child in the treatment of some illness, 1 in 1,400 chance of being useful to a family member. Even if it were useful, it is not assured that there wouldn’t be other treatments available that are just as effective. American Academy of Pediatrics cites these statistics, and says it can’t recommend storing cord blood.<\/p>\n
Embryonic stem cells are more versatile in their use, but cord blood stem cells are less likely to be rejected by the host.<\/p>\n
There’s a long list of diseases<\/a> that are currently treatable with cord blood stem cells, though I don’t know that our family has a history of any of them.<\/p>\n Discuss.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Okay parents and other interested parties… Storing cord blood for the stem cells. What I have learned: $2000 for initial collection, plus $125\/year, for a total cost at age 21 of around $4600 (assuming the yearly fee remains fixed). Estimated … Continue reading