Find the Best Cord Blood Banking in Las Vegas, NV

Is cord blood banking worth it?

On average, more than 20,000 babies are born in Las Vegas every year. The city and surrounding communities are growing, with families now making up well over half of the households in Las Vegas, Summerlin, Nellis Air Force Base, Henderson, North Las Vegas and Spring Valley.

Many young families in Las Vegas are turning to cord blood banking to ensure their access to potentially life-saving medical treatments. Doctors use cord blood stem cells in the treatment of conditions such as:

• Sickle cell anemia
• Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome
• Leukemia
• Lymphoma

Studies have even shown promise in treating damaged heart tissue and Type 1 Diabetes with cord blood stem cells. Medical researchers are still developing new uses for umbilical stem cells and tissue, so parents in Las Vegas who bank their cord blood now might benefit from a bevy of new treatments in the future.

Cord blood banking pros and cons

While cord blood banking in Las Vegas has many advantages, you must consider the negatives as well.

How is cord blood stored?

If you pursue cord blood banking in Las Vegas, you have to choose whether you want a private or public cord blood bank early in your pregnancy.

• Public cord blood banks in Las Vegas do not charge for cord blood collection and storage. Instead, they accept cord blood donations and add these samples to a public cord blood registry available to anyone needing a match. Unfortunately, with public cord blood banking, there’s no guarantee your cord blood will be available for your use if you need it.
• Private cord blood banks in Las Vegas store your child’s umbilical cord blood for your family’s exclusive use. These blood banks charge for cord blood collection, processing and storage, but you retain all rights to your cord blood and may use it as you see fit.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates all cord blood banks in Nevada but has special regulations for public cord blood banks because they give cord blood to people unrelated to the donor. AABB and the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy provide optional certifications for cord blood banks that meet their rigorous standards for preservation and storage.

Deciding whether you want to pursue cord blood banking while still early in your pregnancy gives you time to contact a public or private blood bank in Las Vegas and receive a collection kit. When you’re ready to give birth, bring this collection kit with you to the hospital. After the birth, your obstetrician or hospital staff collect the cord blood, and a courier delivers the sample to the blood bank.

Try to learn how your blood bank will harvest the stem cells from your cord blood. The manual processing of cord blood is typically more precise in harvesting umbilical cord stem cells, but it is expensive. That’s why some private cord blood banks use automated processing methods to keep costs lower.

How much does cord blood banking cost in Las Vegas?

Private cord blood banks in Las Vegas typically charge an upfront fee for collection and processing and a separate, annual fee for storage. Private cord blood banking costs start around $1,500 for initial collection and processing, with annual storage fees ranging from $100 - $175.

Some companies offer a bundled upfront price that includes collection, processing and storage (usually for at least 20 years). Some cord blood banks offer the option to store your sample for your lifetime, though prices increase accordingly. Payment plans are also available in most cases.

Who can use cord blood?

Anyone who is a genetic match with the donor can use their cord blood for stem cell therapy.

This means that private cord blood banking usually benefits the donor’s immediate family, along with some second-degree relatives. Genetic matches are likely within your own family, but it’s worth noting that too close of a match can actually be a disadvantage. In cases where the donor has a genetic anomaly, cord blood stem cells aren’t a viable treatment option because they contain the same genetic defect.

Donating to a public cord blood registry lets you help strangers in need that might not have had the option to bank their cord blood.