Birthing Professionals

Acceptance Criteria

Strict guidelines must be followed to protect the recipient of the cord blood.

Both Mother and Father must complete a health and risk questionnaire with additional questions once the application has been submitted.

Privacy is protected.

The following considerations will be reviewed: 

• Birth mothers must be > 18 years of age
• Birth mothers should register prior to the 34^th    week of pregnancy
• Must deliver after 34 weeks gestation
• Singleton birth only – no twins/ triplets can be accepted

Birth mothers must:

• NOT be a known carrier of genetic diseases or disorders
• NOT have tested positive for HIV or be a Hepatitis B or C carrier
• NOT have engaged in non-medicinal drug use
• NOT have lived in UK or France between 1980—1996
• NOT have used an ovum/sperm donor, adoption, or surrogacy for this child’s conception or birth
• NOT have had a tattoo, or piercing in last 12 months
• NOT have had treatment for sexually transmissible disease in last 12 months

Important Information

• Parents do not pay any fees for their participation in the public bank program.
• The program is completely voluntary. Parents may withdraw from the program at any time before the cord blood is delivered to the cord blood processing laboratory.
• Parents relinquish all ownership and rights to the cord blood.
• Not all donated cord blood samples will be stored. Usually less than 25%* of all donated samples are stored; most are directed toward scientific research projects. (* world-wide statistics)
• Only samples with a high potential for being released for medical treatment are stored. These include samples with high numbers of cells, no bacterial or viral infection, and no labeling errors.
• Parents must understand that the cord blood will not be available to them in the future.
• Parents cannot choose to donate and store privately for one birth. There is only enough cord blood to do one or the other.

Mother must deliver at one of the following hospitals**:

** These hospitals are serviced by our cost-effective bedside pickup service –Shipping costs prohibit us from accepting samples from other locations at this time.  Our valuable charitable funds will be focused on collecting and processing samples rather than paying courier costs.