Posted: Dec 22, 2009
In a just-released book on pregnancy that is getting a lot of attention, bestselling authors Dr. Mehmet Oz - who Oprah calls "America’s Doctor" -- and Dr. Michael Roizen highlight the value of cord blood stem cells and recommend that expectant parents save this important medical resource.
The newly released book, YOU: Having a Baby, is the latest of the popular “YOU” series of books which focus on the science of the body in a clear, compelling, and easy-to-understand manner (YOU: On a Diet, YOU: Staying Young, etc.). Here’s what Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen have to say about cord blood:
Save the Blood
Well before delivery, you’ll be asked whether you would like to bank some of your baby’s cord blood for stem cells. If you are not asked, ask your doc yourself. We recommend that you save the blood. That’s because cord blood can be used to help treat nearly fifty different conditions. In fact, there’s a 1-in-2,700 chance that your child will need that blood by age twenty-one and an even greater chance that somebody in the family will be able to use it. You’ll need to prepare ahead of time if this is something you want done during the delivery. Private cord blood banking costs up to $2,000 to process the specimen, then about $100 a year for maintenance. The public option is free, but as with a regular blood bank, your specimen can be used to help someone else; if your child needs the specimen, you cannot get your sample back.
To learn more about the new pregnancy book, please visit Dr. Oz’s website