Cord blood frequently asked questions

Cord blood is the blood left in the umbilical cord and placenta after a baby is born. It is rich in life-saving stem cells that can help treat over 80 diseases and disorders.

Stem cells, specifically blood stem cells, are found in bone marrow, peripheral (circulating) blood and umbilical cord blood. Blood stem cells are not embryonic stem cells. They are immature cells that can develop into any cell present in the bloodstream.

• Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body.
• White blood cells fight infection.
• Platelets help control bleeding.

Our bodies are constantly manufacturing these cells to sustain life. Without these healthy cells, the consequences can be life-threatening.

Cord blood stem cells have unique advantages over bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells.

• They are collected in advance, stored and ready for use immediately when needed, decreasing patient wait times associated with the search for a marrow or peripheral blood stem cell donor.
• Donated cord blood does not need to be an exact match to a patient. It can be a great option for patients who cannot find a match within the stem cell registry.
• Cord blood transplants are associated with a lower risk of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), a common and serious immune-mediated side effect of transplantation.
• Transplanting cord blood stem cells can also reduce the risk of transmitting viral infections such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) to transplant recipients.

Expectant parents have three options for cord blood:


• Donate to a public cord blood bank (like Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank) at no cost to the donor, keeping it stored and available for anyone who needs a life-saving stem cell transplant.
• Store it with a for-profit private cord blood bank, which charges fees to process and store the cord blood for future use by the donor or their family.
• Do nothing; the placenta and umbilical cord will be discarded as medical waste.

Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank is Canada’s national public cord blood bank, founded in 2013. Expectant parents have the opportunity to donate cord blood at four designated collection sites across Canada, each located in Ottawa, Brampton, Edmonton and Vancouver. Its mandate is to increase the number of potential matches for people on the national stem cell registry, helping further contribute to and diversify the pool of and increase the chance of patients finding a match.

Expectant parents who wish to bank cord blood stem cells have two options:


• Donate to a public cord blood bank (like Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank) at no cost to the donor, keeping it stored and available for anyone who needs it.
• Store it with a for-profit private cord blood bank, which charges fees to process and store the cord blood for future use by the donor or their family.

Many patients in need of a stem cell transplant will only find a match from a public cord blood bank. According to Health Canada, studies estimate that there is a 1 in 20,000 (0.005%) to 1 in 250,000 (0.0004%) chance of using one’s own stem cells from a private bank. 
 
Additionally, some diseases are not treatable using one’s own stem cells because their cells carry the same genetic disorder that caused the disease (for example, leukemia). In these instances, cells from an unrelated healthy donor are preferred.
 
Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank is not affiliated with any private cord blood banks. There are no charges associated with public cord blood banking.
 
Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank makes stem cells available to anyone who needs them. Public cord blood donation increases the inventory and diversity of cord blood units available for patients. Continuous donations by parents from all ethnicities broadens the pool of cord blood units in the public system, making it easier to find matches for patients who cannot otherwise find a match.

Learn more about public vs. private cord blood banking

For more information about cord blood banking, please visit the following reputable sources:


• Health Canada: Thinking About Banking Your Child’s Cord Blood?
• Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC), Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada (JOGC): Umbilical Cord Blood: Counselling, Collection and Banking
• AABB: Umbilical Cord Blood Donation FAQs
• World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA)

To be eligible to donate cord blood you must: 


• Be in good general health.
• Be 18 years or older.
• Deliver after 34 weeks in your pregnancy.
• Be pregnant with one baby (not twins or triplets).
• Be free of infectious diseases (such as HIV or hepatitis).
• Have no history of cancer or blood disorder requiring chemotherapy, in either biological parent.
• Have not used a donor egg, sperm or surrogate for this pregnancy.
• Be delivering at one of our four partner hospitals.

Speak with your healthcare provider to discuss public cord blood donation. If you have more questions regarding eligibility, contact 1 888 2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283) or email cordblood@blood.ca.

Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank regrets that we are unable to collect cord blood stem cells where a donor egg, donor sperm, or maternal surrogacy was used. Screening done by parties external to Canadian Blood Services cannot be accepted by Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank due to accreditation and regulatory requirements.
 
We recognize that there are scenarios such that a donor or surrogate may be part of the parent(s) lives and able to provide the required information. At this time, we are unable to complete additional screening.

You can donate cord blood at four hospitals across Canada:


• The Ottawa Hospital (General campus) in Ottawa, Ontario
• The William Osler Health System’s Brampton Civic Hospital in Brampton, Ontario
• The Lois Hole Hospital for Women (inside the Royal Alexandra Hospital) in Edmonton, Alberta
• The BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia

The cord blood units collected at these hospitals are building Canada's national inventory for any patient in need, in Canada or around the world.

Our resources are focused on building a cord blood bank that meets the needs of Canada’s diverse population. The four hospitals selected are providing the required amount and variety of cord blood units needed for a sustainable cord blood bank.

There is no cost to expectant parents who donate cord blood to Canadian Blood Services' Cord Blood Bank. All donations are made through the generosity of each individual donor.

Donating cord blood is free and easy. Learn about the cord blood donation process.

We test a small amount of the cord blood at the hospital to determine if it has enough volume and stem cells to qualify for storage in the bank. The Cord Blood Bank team will follow up with you on these results after collection.

If the cord blood unit qualifies, a member of the cord blood collection team will visit you before you leave the hospital to collect some additional information, including:


• A second consent.
• A blood test (only from the birthing parent. No blood is taken from your baby).
• A health assessment questionnaire.
• Review of the medical chart (baby and birthing parent).

The second consent and blood test must be received before you are discharged from the hospital or your cord blood donation will not be eligible for banking.

If it is determined that the cord blood may not be stored for future transplant use, depending where you deliver, it may be:

• Discarded.
• Transferred to the cord blood bank manufacturing facility to be used for other uses (for example, quality assurance activities such as validation, training, and quality control, or product improvement).
• Returned to the hospital, to be handled according to approved hospital policies (for example, hospital research activities).
• Used for biomedical research through Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood for Research Program. Donated cord blood will only be distributed to researchers for use in ethically approved biomedical research studies if it meets all of the following requirements:
  • The collected cord blood is unsuitable for banking or transplantation.
  • The birthing parent has given consent for the cord blood to be used for biomedical research.
  • The collected cord blood meets certain research criteria

Approximately 15-25% of cord blood collected will qualify for storage in the bank. Please note this is not a reflection of your health or your baby’s health in any way.

There are no significant risks to the birthing parent or baby. The collection happens after the baby and placenta are safely delivered and does not interfere with the birthing process. 

Yes! If you decide to delay the cord clamping, speak with your healthcare provider prior to delivery and let them know that you would also like to donate cord blood. Timing of umbilical cord clamping is a joint decision between you and your healthcare provider.
 
A minimum of 60 seconds delay before clamping of the umbilical cord is standard care for full-term healthy babies. Longer delays will reduce the amount of cord blood available for donation, however we will continue to collect the cord blood. Donating does not affect your birth plan.

In the unlikely situation that there are multiple births at the same time, we sometimes can’t collect from all donors. Cord blood must be collected immediately after delivery.
 
Other reasons we might not collect and bank cord blood:

• There is not enough blood volume in the placenta and umbilical cord to collect.
• The number of cells in the donation are too small for transplantation.
• You become ineligible. For example, you spike a fever in labour (risk of infection).
• Equipment failure during collection or processing of the cord blood unit. 
• Timing of the delivery happens outside operating hours.
• Other medical or operational issues.

Your participation in the Cord Blood Bank is voluntary. You may withdraw at any time. Call 1 888 2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283) and we will provide you with a withdrawal of consent form to be completed and returned to Canadian Blood Services.
 
Your cord blood stem cells will be discarded if they have not already been used for transplantation or other uses, including research if you have opted-in to the Cord Blood for Research Program.

Cord blood that is not donated to Canadian Blood Services' Cord Blood Bank is normally discarded as medical waste, unless other personal arrangements have been made with the hospital.

If donating to a public cord blood bank, the cord blood will be made available to any patient in need of a stem cell transplant in Canada or worldwide. You cannot reserve the cord blood unit for your family. However, if a member of your family needs a transplant and the cord blood unit is a match and available, it could potentially be used by your family member.

After collection, cord blood is tested to identify the presence of the following:

• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
• Hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV and HCV).
• Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV), syphilis and West Nile Virus (WNV).
• Chagas disease (if applicable).

 The cord blood is also tested for markers that will match it to a patient for blood type (ABO), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and hemoglobin conditions such as sickle cell disease. Only the birthing parent requires a blood test. The other tests are done on the donated cord blood itself.

If any of these tests result in a positive, you and your healthcare provider will be notified per Canadian Blood Services’ policy. We will also report the positive results to the appropriate public health authorities.

We are committed to protecting your personal information. For more information, please read our Privacy Notice.

Cord blood stem cell donations can be stored for a very long time before being used. There are examples of cord blood stem cells being transplanted after 16 years without any detected deterioration in quality.

Eligible cord blood is stored and made available to any matching unrelated patient in need of a stem cell transplant (in Canada or around the world). Over 80 diseases and disorders — including leukemia, lymphoma and aplastic anemia — can be treated with cord blood stem cells. Occasionally, cord blood may be used for other purposes such as quality control or process and product improvement.
 
Depending upon which hospital the cord blood is collected, cord blood may be:

• Used and/or distributed for ethically approved research purposes by the Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank, with your consent.
• Returned to the hospital, where it may be used and/or distributed according to  hospital policies (for example, research purposes).
• Discarded.

We manage a research program that provides researchers in Canada with non-bankable cord blood products for biomedical research that could lead to scientific advances and improvements in clinical and medical care. Researchers needing cord blood are asked to apply to the Cord Blood for Research Program. Donated cord blood will be distributed to researchers for use in ethically approved biomedical research studies only if:

• The collected cord blood is unsuitable for banking or transplantation.*
• The birthing parent has given consent for their cord blood donation to be used for biomedical research.
• The collected cord blood meets certain research criteria.

*Cord blood may be unsuitable for banking if the amount collected is too small or it does not have enough stem cells to qualify for storage in Canadian Blood Services' Cord Blood Bank. 
 
Canadian Blood Services is committed to supporting research in our partner hospitals in addition to the Cord Blood for Research Program. We return non-qualifying cord blood donations and/or placenta samples to the hospital to be dealt with according to hospital policies, which may include supporting research studies that are compatible with cord blood collection. Expectant parents may be approached and consented to participate in a hospital specific research study, which is not associated with the Cord Blood for Research Program. The hospital researcher will explain the research study and answer any questions.

We offer free, board-certified interpreters and translators in Arabic, Punjabi and Chinese. If you prefer to communicate with us in a language other than English or French, email us at cordblood@blood.ca to request an interpreter or translation services. We require 6-8 weeks’ notice to ensure all required forms are completed and received before your due date.
 
An information package will be sent to you in your preferred language. This information will allow you to read, ask any questions, fill-out, sign and return the Cord Blood Registration form and Permission to Collect consent form before the birth of your baby.

Vancouver/Edmonton

Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank
8249 114th Street,
Edmonton AB, T6G 2R8

Ottawa/Brampton
Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank 
40 Concourse Gate, 
Ottawa, ON, K2E 8A6

For any questions regarding informative documents, please email us at cordblood@blood.ca.

Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank complies, by law, with Health Canada regulations to ensure cord blood is collected safely and effectively. Specifically, we comply with Health Canada’s Human Cells, Tissues and Organs for Transplantation Regulations and applicable Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standards. 

Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank is also accredited by the:

• Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB)
• Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapy NetCord (NetCord-FACT)
• World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA)