Cord blood is the blood left behind in the placenta and umbilical cord after the birth of a baby.
It is a rich source of blood-forming stem cells that can be used for both children and adults needing bone marrow transplants. Women who give birth at the Women’s can donate cord blood so that it is available to any suitably matched person in the world who needs a bone marrow transplant.
The Women’s does not support the collection of cord blood that is stored by private companies.
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BMDI Cord Blood Bank Collection Office hours are: Monday to Wednesday: 7am to 5pm. Collection is not available on weekends or public holidays. Please note these hours may vary depending on Cord Blood Bank clinical coordinator availability. If you have any queries, call (03) 8345 3385 or (03) 8345 3384. If the office is unattended, please leave a message and we will return your call. When you come to the hospital to give birth, please ask your midwife to contact the Cord Blood Bank on 0438 175 745 or pager number 53490. A Cord Blood Bank clinical coordinator will explain the collection process and obtain your consent. |
Information for patients
Collection - what is involved?
Cord Blood Bank midwives are available at the Women’s to explain the donation process and obtain your consent. Cord blood can also be collected from women giving birth at Frances Perry House.
Cord blood collection is only available during Cord Blood Bank collection hours. If your baby is born during these hours, a Cord Blood Bank midwife can collect the cord blood after birth.
You will also be asked about your health history and have a blood sample taken to test for infectious diseases.
The cord blood and your blood sample are sent to the Cord Blood Bank at the Royal Children’s Hospital for testing and storage. Cord blood that is suitable for donation is stored at very low temperatures until it is needed for a stem cell transplant.
De-identified information about the donation is added to the Registry of Stem Cell Donors Australia and the World Marrow Donor Association Search & Match Registry. These registries allow transplant centres around the world to search for suitable matches for their patients.
At least six months after your baby’s birth, a Cord Blood Bank nurse will contact you to check your and your baby’s health before the donation can be listed as available for stem cell transplant.
What is cord blood used for?
Cord blood is the blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord after birth. It contains blood-forming stem cells that can be used to treat some people who need a bone marrow transplant.
Because cord blood stem cells are less mature and more adaptable, they may be suitable even when the donor and recipient are not a perfect match. Over the last 35 years, many patients have benefitted from cord blood transplants.
Some commercial cord blood banks claim that stored cord blood may prevent or treat a wide range of conditions. There is currently insufficient evidence to support many of these claims. Research is continuing into other potential uses of cord blood.
Who manages the Cord Blood Bank?
Cord blood collected at the Women’s is donated to the BMDI Cord Blood Bank, at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Established with philanthropic funding from the Bone Marrow Donor Institute (Fight Cancer Foundation), The BMDI Cord Blood Bank is managed by a consortium of the Royal Children's Hospital, the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and the Fight Cancer Foundation.
The BMDI Cord Blood Bank is one of three public cord blood banks in Australia, forming the AusCord network, funded by Commonwealth and State Governments.
AusCord banks are licensed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for cell manufacturing and are internationally accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT).
Can my family use my baby’s cord blood?
Cord blood donated to the public bank is available to any patient who is a suitable match. It is not stored specifically for your family.
If a member of your family needs a bone marrow transplant, doctors will look for the most suitable donor. Siblings have a 1-in-4 chance of being a full tissue match. If no matched donor is identified, doctors search the world marrow and cord blood registers to find the best match and the most suitable product. If the child's donated cord blood is matched, the cord blood will be made available if it is still in the bank.
However, your baby's cord blood may have already been released for a life-saving transplant and no longer available. If siblings are a full tissue match, their bone marrow will be equally matched and could be used in the treatment of the sick child.
Cord blood cannot be released for unproven treatments except in exceptional circumstances.
If one of your children has a condition that may be treated with a bone marrow transplant, such as leukaemia or sickle cell disease. Speak with their treating doctor and your obstetrician well before your baby is born.
The BMDI Cord Blood Bank staff are not involved in family banking. Special arrangements may be made by yourself for a private bank to collect and store your baby's cord blood under these circumstances. This needs to be discussed and arranged well in advance.
The Women's position regarding the collection and storage of your baby's cord blood with a private company
The Women's does not encourage the private collection and storage of cord blood. It is against the Women's policy to collect cord blood for your own family's exclusive use because:
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the Women's does not agree with all of the claims made by private storage companies about the future health benefits of blood storage
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while cord blood stem cell transplantation is now a recognised therapy for a variety of blood and metabolic disorders, the use of cord blood for other conditions is still in the early experimental phase
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we cannot guarantee the cord blood would be collected - our staff priority is to provide optimal care to mother and baby. We will not commit staff time (paid by the public health system) to collecting cord blood that is stored for private profit
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we do not want to endorse commercial services or products particularly when all the advertised benefits for patients are not guaranteed or scientifically established.
While this is our current policy, we remain committed to reviewing our policy in the future and possibly changing our policy as more research on cord blood use becomes available.
The Women's supports the collection of cord blood by the public Cord Blood Bank because:
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the service is voluntary and cost free to mothers. Philanthropic donation of cord blood for banking is to be encouraged by public health services
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sick patients from all over the world are given the chance of a life-saving transplant by having a large number of cord blood units available as a potential source of donor cells.