Find the Best Cord Blood Banking in Indianapolis, IN

Is cord blood banking worth it?

In 2017, over 14,000 babies were born across Indianapolis. Many young families live in neighborhoods like Glendale and Wynnedale or suburbs like Carmel, Fishers and Meridian Hills.

Some parents in Indianapolis choose to store or donate their umbilical cord blood and placental tissue because of its medical benefits. Physicians use the stem cells found in cord blood to treat conditions like:

• Leukemia
• Lymphoma
• Sickle cell anemia
• Red cell aplasia
• Tay-Sachs disease

Cord blood banking in Indianapolis provides you with treatment options should you require stem cell therapy for a blood or immune disorder.

Cord blood banking pros and cons

Though there are benefits to cord blood banking, there is also a possibility that some families will never need it. That’s why it’s worth considering the pros and cons of cord blood banking in Indianapolis.

Keep in mind that expecting parents need to register early if they want to pursue cord blood banking in Indianapolis.

How is cord blood stored?

Cord blood storage is available from both private and public blood banks in Indianapolis. Public blood banks store cord blood for free, but the donated samples become available to anyone in need, including sick people and scientific researchers.

If a family wants to preserve their cord blood for their own use, private blood banks in Indianapolis store samples in return for a registration fee and annual storage fees. The average private blood bank in Indianapolis stores cord blood for 15 to 20 years in secure locations with surveillance monitoring and protection from natural disasters, like tornadoes.

All cord blood banks in Indianapolis must register with the Food and Drug Administration, but no specific, local licensing or certification is required. Regardless, some cord blood banks obtain accreditation with the AABB and the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy to prove their commitment to higher standards of care.

How much does cord blood banking cost in Indianapolis?

In Indianapolis, the lifetime cost of cord blood banking for a single birth varies between $3,500 and $8,000, depending what blood and tissue you store. Since this price is per individual sample, larger families or parents expecting multiple children should budget for significantly greater expenses.

Most cord blood banks in Indianapolis charge a one-time fee of $1,400 to $2,300 to collect, test and register the blood and an annual storage fee of around $100. Often, cord blood banking companies in Indianapolis offer discounts for multisample storage, like storing umbilical cord blood, cord tissue and placental tissue.

Who can use cord blood?

Many people, not just donor mothers and their children, benefit from umbilical cord blood and tissue donated to public blood banks in Indianapolis. Anyone who has a blood or immune disorder can utilize cord blood from a public bank as long as there are samples with matching genetics.

Mothers who are not eligible to make cord blood donations to public banks include those who:

• Are younger than 18 years old
• Have received chemotherapy
• Have been treated for cancer
• Have had a blood condition like HIV or hepatitis
• Gave birth prematurely
• Delivered multiples

Privately stored cord blood in Indianapolis benefits any matching member of the donor’s immediate family, whether it's a brother with leukemia or a father with sickle cell anemia.