Umbilical cord blood storage can be done either through public donations or private banks. The latter is also known as family storage.

Donating to public institutions

Umbilical cord blood can be freely donated to public storage facilities. In this case, the blood cells are for general public use for transplantation or research.

Some public banks are specialized in storing cord blood for patients that need transplants. These institutions have very strict criteria about the characteristics of the blood that is to be stored, and sometimes most of the samples are discarded.

There are also research public banks, which store cord blood units with the purpose of using it for research studies.

Although the idea of public banks is very good and they should be able to provide a solution for patients that need transplants (including those who donated the blood), the fate of banks greatly depends on the swings of public economy and political needs of the governments. Only when these public banks receive adequate and permanent funding by the governments public banking will constitute a safe choice for those wishing to assure an eventual supply for their children

Private banking

Private cord blood banks collect and store for parents wanting to maintain control and ownership of their child's cord blood. By paying the collection costs and a small annual maintenance fee the parents are able to access their own stem cells at any time, for any reason. Private banks will not give or sell blood or information about it unless authorized by the child's parents.

Costs of private banking

When choosing a private bank, parents are required to pay for the initial collection, processing and storage of their child's cord blood. This fee ranges between $1,000 and $1,500. The annual cord blood maintenance and storage fee is about $100. In most cases, the initial fee can be relieved by opting for payment programs offered by the bank and thus becoming an affordable way to build a better future for your children.