Blood Cord Banking: False Hope for Anxious Parents?
- Dr Natalie Hutchins
- Sep 29
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 8
By Eleanor Riches and Dr Natalie Hutchins
If you're pregnant (or planning to be), you might’ve come across ads for cord blood banking. They paint a hopeful picture: your baby's umbilical cord could hold the key to future life-saving treatments. The message is powerful, and so is the emotion behind it. Who wouldn’t want to give their child every possible protection?
But between the science, the sales pitches, and the ethical grey areas, cord blood banking can be a minefield of confusion. Is it really worth it? Will it ever be used? And are anxious parents being sold more fear than fact?
Let’s take a closer look at what cord blood freezing really involves, what the research says, and how to make a decision that feels right for you.
What is cord blood banking?
Cord blood is the blood left in your baby’s umbilical cord and placenta after birth. Normally, it’s thrown away. But this blood is full of powerful stem cells, the kind that can transform into other types of blood or immune cells and be used for treatment.1
Cord blood banking means collecting this blood after birth and freezing it for potential future use. The process is safe and painless: once the baby is born and the cord is clamped and cut, the remaining blood is drawn from the cord (usually within the first 5-10 minutes).
The blood is then tested and stored at ultra-low temperatures to keep the stem cells alive for decades – a process known as cryopreservation. Some studies suggest cord blood may still be viable after 20+ years.2 That said, storing cord blood doesn’t guarantee it’ll ever be used.
The long-term quality of a sample depends on how much blood is collected, which can be influenced by the baby’s size, the timing of collection and whether cord clamping is delayed. Delayed cord clamping (waiting at least 30-60 seconds after birth) is now recommended because it improves outcomes for most newborns.3 However, this delay can reduce the amount of cord blood left to collect, which may affect whether the sample is large enough to store or use in the future.
Public vs private cord blood banking
There are two main ways to store cord blood:
Public banking: You donate cord blood for free. It’s added to a public registry and matched to patients in need.
Private banking: You pay to store cord blood privately for your own child or family to use in the future. This usually costs up to £2,000, plus yearly fees.
There’s also growing interest in hybrid models, where part of the cord blood is stored privately and part is donated.4 These aren’t widely available yet, but they could offer a more balanced and ethical option.
The problem with private cord banking
When you become a parent, the pressure to plan ahead and protect your child is constant. Private cord banks know this, and their marketing taps directly into that instinct.
Companies promote private blood cord storage as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to safeguard your child’s future, as a kind of “biological insurance”. But this is where it’s important to pause – because the science doesn’t always match the marketing.
A 2022 review found that many private banks rely on emotional messaging that plays on fear, rather than offering clear, balanced information.5 This can lead parents to spend thousands “just in case”, even when the chances of ever using the stored blood are extremely low.
Plus, the private system is difficult to trust. In 2024, Cordlife (one of Asia’s largest private cord blood banks) was found to have mishandled and improperly stored over 7,500 samples, making them unusable.6 Parents were understandably devastated.
This scandal revealed a deeper issue: many private banks operate with limited oversight. Parents often have no way to confirm how or where their child’s sample is stored – and when something goes wrong, there are no clear protections or guarantees. That’s why in countries like France and Belgium, private storage is either banned or only permitted for proven therapeutic use, not “just in case”.7
Making an informed decision about blood cord banking means weighing these risks and benefits, not just reacting to worst-case scenarios, or being sold a false sense of security.
Will my child need their cord blood one day?
Let’s clear this up: the chance that a child will use their own cord blood is extremely low. Estimates range from 1 in 400 to 1 in 200,000.2
Even if your child develops a condition where stem cells are used (like leukaemia or a rare genetic disorder), their own cord blood might not be suitable. This is because it could carry the same faulty genes that contributed to the condition in the first place.
That’s why type of transplant matters:
Autologous transplant: uses the person’s own stem cells.
Allogeneic transplant: uses stem cells from a donor.
For many conditions, allogeneic transplants are more effective than using a child’s own cells. In fact, most cord blood transplants use donor cells from public banks. Siblings are often more likely to benefit from privately stored cord blood than the child it came from, so taking the family medical history into account is important.2
There are a few specific conditions (like certain inherited blood disorders) where cord blood storage is medically advised. But in these cases, collection and storage should be arranged as part of the child’s care, with no added costs.
What can cord blood actually treat today?
Let’s start with what’s already possible. Right now, cord blood is used mainly in allogenic transplants, where the stem cells come from a matched donor, often a sibling or unrelated person. These transplants are used to treat around 80 conditions, most of them rare and related to the blood or immune system, such as:8
Leukaemia
Lymphoma
Sickle cell disease
Certain inherited metabolic conditions
In short: while cord blood is clinically useful, most transplants rely on donor cells, not the child’s own. It’s an important distinction when weighing up the value of private banking.
Can cord blood be used for other health problems?
This is where things get murky. Some private banks suggest that cord blood might one day help treat a long list of conditions, from diabetes to cerebral palsy and organ damage. But most of these treatments don’t exist yet, and some might never.
The science is moving forward, but not fast enough to justify the “miracle cure” claims sometimes used in marketing.
That said, early research5 shows potential to treat:
Lung disease in preterm babies
Brain injuries caused at birth
Heart conditions in infants
But here’s what we need to keep in mind:
These are early-phase trials, designed to test safety, not long-term success.
Most trials are tiny, often involving just 6-30 babies.
None of these treatments are widely available, and they could be years away, if they ever reach standard care.
There’s a lot of exciting science on the horizon. But right now, cord blood isn’t a catch-all treatment, and it’s important not to confuse future potential with current reality.
What about cord tissue banking?
Cord tissue contains a different type of cell called mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Unlike stem cells in the cord blood, these don’t make blood cells. But MSCs have been studied for wound healing, nerve repair, and reducing inflammation.
Cryopreserved cord tissue, specifically a jelly-like part known as Wharton’s Jelly, has been tested in small studies, including trials for wound care and early-stage research for spina bifida. The results are promising but still very much in the experimental stage.9
In short, cord tissue banking could have future potential, especially in regenerative medicine. But right now, it’s still in the research phase, not something that’s part of routine care.
Is private cord blood banking worth it?
Cord blood and tissue are powerful resources, and the science around them is evolving. But here’s the reality: for most families, private cord blood banking is unlikely to be used, and it shouldn’t be seen as guaranteed protection.
If you have a family history of a condition that can be treated with stem cells, storing cord blood might be worth considering. But for the majority, the chances of needing it are low. That’s why leading medical bodies like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) do not recommend private banking unless there’s a known medical reason.10 Some experts suggest donating to a public bank, where your baby’s cord blood could help someone else, and may still be accessible to your family if needed.4
If you’re still considering private blood cord banking, explore these points first:
Read the fine print. Understand the full cost (upfront and long term) and check the contract carefully.
Clarify who can use the sample. Is it only for your child, or could a sibling or relative use it too?
Look for proper accreditation. Make sure the bank is approved by a reputable body.
Ask about their track record. How long have they been operating? How many samples have they stored? Have any been used in successful transplants?
The most important thing? Understanding your options. Looking beyond the marketing. And making your decision from a place of confidence, not fear.
You don’t need to store your baby’s cord blood to be a good parent. And you don’t need to feel guilty if you decide not to. Your child’s future isn’t sitting in a freezer. It’s in the love, care, and informed choices you make every day.
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