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Original poster

Can i donate stem cells?

18 replies

shellywellybaby1 · 30/03/2012 14:49

hi ladies

hoping you can help guide me in the right direction! i was hoping i would be able to donate my cord for stem cells etc? however after asking my midwife who seemed to not really know anything about it all she said was that i would have to use a private company and to just google it.

just thought i would check on here to see if anyone is doing it or has done in the past and knows where i should be looking!

Thank you

OP posts:
ConcreteElephant · 30/03/2012 16:18

Hi shellywelly,

Please see the NHS Blood and Transplant cord blood site for info on donating your cord blood.

I think it depends where you are as to whether you are easily able to do it, I don't know about using a private company I'm afraid.

Both my DCs were born at Watford General and donation of cord blood can be co-ordinated there.

Two years ago I couldn't donate DD's cord blood as she was born on a Friday and the labs weren't open on weekends to process the donation - bit unlucky! I don't think that's still the case though.

DS was born in January and it was very straightforward. I had a water birth and following lots of skin to skin and cuddles, I got out of the pool to deliver the placenta into a bucket (sounds worse than it was!). Later, someone came to talk to us about the donation, check we were still happy to donate, and asked some questions about my medical history. DS got a thank you card, which was a nice touch.

Hope this helps anyway and I hope you'll be able to donate as you wish.

hamncheese · 30/03/2012 16:20

I know that my NHS hospital (Glasgow Royal Infirmary) does it... maybe you could contact your potential hospital/s directly and ask? Seems to be very hit or miss in NHS on a LOT of things you can or can't get. I'm guessing you'd only need to use a private company if there wasn't an NHS hospital that did it near enough to you.

ConcreteElephant · 30/03/2012 16:22

Oh yes, and they took a blood sample from me when they came later to talk to me...

ConcreteElephant · 30/03/2012 16:28

Hmmm the Cord Blood site isn't listing Glasgow Royal Infirmary as somewhere you can donate. I wonder if it's just showing places local to me? Or perhaps it's not a complete list on there? It's only showing 6 or 7 places, all near London, and that doesn't seem very comprehensive.

On that basis I'd definitely call the number given to get full info on your options.

goingmadtrying · 30/03/2012 16:37

we are given a leaflet at the booking in appointment, but the mw did say at the minute you can only do it during office hours lol i asked a few weeks ago if i could still donate as im having twins and was advised yes, and that the times had got better. my handheld notes have a place for a sticker on the front so that may indicate if your trust does it :)

Garliccheesechips · 30/03/2012 17:06

Is there something a bit funny about private companies? Or am I going mad?
I may have read somewhere that your donation would only be available to those who can pay for treatment. But don't quote me on that.

You can register on the NHS site and they call you to confirm, send you the consent forms, which you sign and include with your notes. You can ask when they call about the hospital.

Original poster
shellywellybaby1 · 30/03/2012 17:17

Thanks ladies! It doesnt look like my hospital do it :-( North Manchester. From what i have read about the private companies aswell its only available for use on any future children of your own which isnt why i wanted to do it. Nevermind. At least i tried. Thank you for all your help!!

OP posts:
confuzed90 · 30/03/2012 19:34

What is stem cell donation for? Sorry I've never heard of this and a great believe in donating things and helping!

Original poster
shellywellybaby1 · 30/03/2012 23:36

Hey confuzed! They use it mainly for treating luekemia and similar cancers. I dont fully know how or what else it can be used for though but i think that itself is a very worthy cause. Hope ur hospital does it!

OP posts:
RichManPoorManBeggarmanThief · 31/03/2012 05:37

Actually, the private companies are a little bit of a con, because whilst you pay to bank your own child's stem cells, it's quite unlikely that they'd be able to use those stem cells for treatment that they themselves required, and the match with a relative is only as likely as with a random member of the public.

hamncheese · 31/03/2012 09:33

Hmm that's odd. There are certainly posters at Glasgow Royal advertising it. Will ask at MW appointment this week!

Original poster
shellywellybaby1 · 31/03/2012 09:54

Yeh i definitely don't trust the private companys. Not if there are chatging over £2000 for a bit of fridge space. I want it to be available to anyone who needs it not for any future children who it only MIGHT be a match for.

OP posts:
RichManPoorManBeggarmanThief · 31/03/2012 10:27

Yeah- I was offered it at birth for DS, and looked into it (I live overseas so there isn't a public cord bank AFAIK). I just decided that paying that much money for something that wasn't necessarily going to have any benefit, and where much of the medical technology is future tense/theoretical was a bit crazy. If there'd been a public cord bank I would have been happy to donate, like you.

Bearcrumble · 31/03/2012 10:38

At my hospital (King's College Hospital, SE London) they do it with the Anthony Nolan Trust. It's an opt-in thing so you have to be a bit proactive and ring up a certain number then go and fill in some forms with a midwife.

They are trying to expand into more hospitals so it's worth mentioning to yours to see if they would consider taking part in future.

www.anthonynolan.org/What-we-do/Cord-blood.aspx

GinPalace · 31/03/2012 10:44

What a fab idea! I am currently pregnant and got all excited at the chance to help - but looks like you have to be in the South to do it. :(

bemybebe · 31/03/2012 10:58

My understanding it that the private companies do it for your own private use. The only private company that shares stem cells with the public databases is Virgin through their Community Banking Service, whilst keeping some for the donor... Otherwise NHS cord blood bank collects through a limited number of hospitals

St George's Hospital,
Univeristy College Hospital,
Barnet General Hospital,
Northwick Park Hospital,
Luton & Dunstable Hospital,
Watford General Hospital.

I was told by NHS that at over 40 I cannot donate any to the NHS, so I am considering private banking but the costs at above 1600GBP are very very high...

bemybebe · 31/03/2012 10:59

NHS Cord Blood Bank

Bearhugs43 · 03/04/2012 18:53

Much more important to leave the cord pulsate so that your own baby gets all the blood, iron stores and stem cells nature intended it to start life with, than to clamp the cord and deprive them of it for the sake of quicker delivery of placenta, hospital protocol (convenience) or to collect stem cells for unlikely future use.

All the evidence is out there that delayed cord clamping is vastly better for babies health.... Our maternity services just haven't decided to play ball yet.

Please look into it before deciding to clamp as an insurance policy or for someone else's child. Smile

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