Collecting Stem Cells when your baby is born
Discussion
Hullo,
We're expecting a baby to pop out of my wife in early December and I've been looking into getting the Stem Cells stored.
I was wondering if anyone else has thought about doing it, or if anyone has any real experience with companies providing the service. The service tends to cost around £1.5K so it's pretty expensive, but on the other hand it's quite cheap in the grand scale of things especially if we were to ever need the stem cells.
I'm also a little worried that I'm being brain washed into thinking that we NEED to use a service like this "just in case"
Anyone got any advice? Help!
We're expecting a baby to pop out of my wife in early December and I've been looking into getting the Stem Cells stored.
I was wondering if anyone else has thought about doing it, or if anyone has any real experience with companies providing the service. The service tends to cost around £1.5K so it's pretty expensive, but on the other hand it's quite cheap in the grand scale of things especially if we were to ever need the stem cells.
I'm also a little worried that I'm being brain washed into thinking that we NEED to use a service like this "just in case"
Anyone got any advice? Help!
I watched a program on the telly-box called 11th Hour, apparently the stem cells will be stolen and injected into rich country club members to make them look younger, one will grow a second heart. Then the genuis Dr. Jacob Hood and his hot FBI "handler" will have to come and sort the whole mess out.
I think it was a documentary.
I think it was a documentary.
Yep - we had a baby girl 4 months ago and did this.
The only company our consultant recommended was Smart Cells (google them) - were dead easy to deal with. If you're going to do it then make sure your doctor has done it before and knows what they are doing. You only get one go so need to make sure the blood is collected and secured properly. You only know it its been successful after the blood has been tested by the company.
The blood is now stored and we hope we will never ever need it and just want to forget it. However, God forbid if we ever do, with the advancement in medical science it may be the best ever £1.5k we ever spent. Its still very experimental and so it may be a waste of money anyway but think of it as expensive insurance.
PS - I can't remember why but our consultant specifically told us to avoid Virgin (they have their own stem cell storage company) - I know it was a vey good reason so we went with his recommendation.
The only company our consultant recommended was Smart Cells (google them) - were dead easy to deal with. If you're going to do it then make sure your doctor has done it before and knows what they are doing. You only get one go so need to make sure the blood is collected and secured properly. You only know it its been successful after the blood has been tested by the company.
The blood is now stored and we hope we will never ever need it and just want to forget it. However, God forbid if we ever do, with the advancement in medical science it may be the best ever £1.5k we ever spent. Its still very experimental and so it may be a waste of money anyway but think of it as expensive insurance.
PS - I can't remember why but our consultant specifically told us to avoid Virgin (they have their own stem cell storage company) - I know it was a vey good reason so we went with his recommendation.
Bill Carr said:
Why would you - or anybody - want to do this?
Because stem cell treatments are appearing every day for a wide range of diseases and conditions. Also it looks likely that down the line we will be able to grow organs from our own stem cells, meaning tissue rejection will be a thing of the past.my daughter has a rare bone marrow disorder similar to sickle cell where she cant produce her own blood/red cells - there's going to be 45 babies born a year with this thats how rare we're talking
the only alternative is a bone marrow match which there hasnt been yet, she had her stem cells saved in the hope that future medication will be able to utilise that to form bone marrow - helping many people from parkinsons to sickle cell etc.
i do think though doing it for the sake of it is a bit OTT. i dont wish ill health on anyone's child in a million years but we all who were born ok are doing ok save for our own vices/bad habits
the only alternative is a bone marrow match which there hasnt been yet, she had her stem cells saved in the hope that future medication will be able to utilise that to form bone marrow - helping many people from parkinsons to sickle cell etc.
i do think though doing it for the sake of it is a bit OTT. i dont wish ill health on anyone's child in a million years but we all who were born ok are doing ok save for our own vices/bad habits
Stem cells are brilliant. It's essentially all your DNA in undifferentiated form. From them, you can make new bits of yourself.
However the science is young and you can be sure there wil be legions of religious moralists, ignorant luddites and various laws that will cripple its progress.
However the science is young and you can be sure there wil be legions of religious moralists, ignorant luddites and various laws that will cripple its progress.
Simpo Two said:
religious moralists
Simpo Two said:
ignorant luddites
Simpo Two said:
various laws
Shame really, it's all very clever stuff and umbilical stem cell research often gets tarred with the same brush as ethically shakey embrionic research.
Edited by davido140 on Wednesday 26th August 23:06
dreamz said:
for years republicans held back funding for such stem cell research
then ronald regean got ill and they began to slowly allow it in.
thank god the democrats are more open to such things
Why should it depend on Governemnt funding? The pharmaceutical boys have plenty of R&D loot.then ronald regean got ill and they began to slowly allow it in.
thank god the democrats are more open to such things
Politicians know nothing about science (the notable exception being Mrs Thatcher).
dreamz said:
my daughter has a rare bone marrow disorder similar to sickle cell where she cant produce her own blood/red cells - there's going to be 45 babies born a year with this thats how rare we're talking
the only alternative is a bone marrow match which there hasnt been yet, she had her stem cells saved in the hope that future medication will be able to utilise that to form bone marrow - helping many people from parkinsons to sickle cell etc.
i do think though doing it for the sake of it is a bit OTT. i dont wish ill health on anyone's child in a million years but we all who were born ok are doing ok save for our own vices/bad habits
Can I ask what the name of your daughters condition is? Sounds similar to something I have. Is it Aplastic Anemia or Hyper-Milodisplacier (sp?)?the only alternative is a bone marrow match which there hasnt been yet, she had her stem cells saved in the hope that future medication will be able to utilise that to form bone marrow - helping many people from parkinsons to sickle cell etc.
i do think though doing it for the sake of it is a bit OTT. i dont wish ill health on anyone's child in a million years but we all who were born ok are doing ok save for our own vices/bad habits
That a very expensive "just in case". Do you or your wife have a family history of any congenital disorders? If not, save your money. Stem cells can also be harvested at any time in life for use in a select number of disorders. I had a patient with intractable AML that was unresponsive to chemo. We harvested her own adult stem cells, killed off her diseased bone marrow, and implanted the harvested stem cells. She was cured of the AML! And then killed by a drunk driver.
Better to get a hunting license for drunk drivers and put the money into an account for your child's future education.
Better to get a hunting license for drunk drivers and put the money into an account for your child's future education.markmakak said:
Hullo,
We're expecting a baby to pop out of my wife in early December and I've been looking into getting the Stem Cells stored.
I was wondering if anyone else has thought about doing it, or if anyone has any real experience with companies providing the service. The service tends to cost around £1.5K so it's pretty expensive, but on the other hand it's quite cheap in the grand scale of things especially if we were to ever need the stem cells.
I'm also a little worried that I'm being brain washed into thinking that we NEED to use a service like this "just in case"
Anyone got any advice? Help!
We're expecting a baby to pop out of my wife in early December and I've been looking into getting the Stem Cells stored.
I was wondering if anyone else has thought about doing it, or if anyone has any real experience with companies providing the service. The service tends to cost around £1.5K so it's pretty expensive, but on the other hand it's quite cheap in the grand scale of things especially if we were to ever need the stem cells.
I'm also a little worried that I'm being brain washed into thinking that we NEED to use a service like this "just in case"
Anyone got any advice? Help!
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