When your baby is born, the umbilical cord and placenta contain powerful fetal stem cells that can be collected and stored for future medical use. Fetal stem cells are already being used to treat over 90 conditions, including certain cancers, blood disorders, and immune deficiencies. Billions of dollars is going into research using fetal stem cells to treat many different disease conditions, so the number of diseases and surgical conditions to use fetal stem cells will dramatically increase over the next 5-10 years!
Scientists are also studying their potential in regenerative therapies for conditions like type 1 diabetes, cerebral palsy, and even spinal cord injuries. Essentially, this is a resource that can’t be recreated later. This means it’s a one-time opportunity with life-changing potential.
At the OB-GYN practice Alan B. Patterson, MD, in Coral Springs, Florida, Dr. Patterson and our team are committed to helping expectant parents have a solid grasp on their options when it comes to cord blood banking. We provide guidance, answer your questions, and support your choices so you can make informed decisions during pregnancy and delivery.
Fetal stem cells are immature cells found in umbilical cord blood and tissue. Unlike adult stem cells, they haven’t specialized yet and are a “blank slate.” This gives them the ability to develop into many different types of cells. This flexibility makes them valuable in medicine, particularly in bone marrow transplants and emerging treatments in regenerative medicine.
Cord blood stem cells are commonly used to treat:
And ongoing clinical trials are exploring their use in:
These investigational treatments may offer powerful new therapeutic options in the near future — and having access to your child’s stem cells could make all the difference. In 2021 at the University of Miami 3 patients who had terminal Covid were given stem cells and all 3 recovered, when most likely they would have died in one week, so they wrote a huge article about this success that saved 3 lives!
Banking your baby’s stem cells is an investment in long-term family health. If a sibling or parent needs a stem cell transplant in the future, cord blood from your newborn could be a match.
And since cord blood transplants don’t require a perfect match like bone marrow transplants do, there’s a higher likelihood that fetal stem cells can be used when needed.
Private cord blood banking allows you to store your child’s stem cells exclusively for your family’s use. And the stem cells can now be stored for possible use up to 18 years!
At Alan B. Patterson, MD, we focus on giving you the information and support you need to make informed decisions for your family. Our team has helped countless families in Coral Springs and the surrounding areas take advantage of this opportunity.
We’re here to guide you through the process, answer your questions, and make sure your delivery includes every option available to protect your child’s future.
Fetal stem cell collection is safe, painless, and doesn’t interfere with delivery. However, it requires some planning ahead of time. The opportunity is gone once the umbilical cord is discarded. That’s why we encourage expecting parents to start the conversation early — during your prenatal visits, not at the delivery room doors.
You only get one shot to make this choice. Talk with our team at your next appointment about how to bank your baby’s cord blood. We’ll walk you through your options and help you make a decision that aligns with your family’s future. Dr. Patterson always talks to all of his patients about saving fetal stem cells from both the blood and the cord tissue at their first prenatal visit!
To learn more, contact Alan B. Patterson, MD, in Coral Springs, Florida, today.
