What does the Umbilical Cord Do?

The umbilical cord is a fetal organ connecting the placenta to the developing fetus, providing essential nutrients to the baby from the mother's blood. During prenatal development, the umbilical cord is both physiologically and genetically a part of the fetus.

After a baby's birth, it is discarded as waste, but research has suggested that it carries precious cells that could potentially cure several life-threatening diseases. Let's understand more about it and why umbilical cord preservation is recommended these days.

Understanding the Value of Umbilical Cord

The umbilical cord is attached to the fetus at the umbilicus (located along the midline of the anterior abdominal wall at the level of the intervertebral discs). It extends to the centre of the placental bulk. On average, it measures 55-60cm in length with a diameter of 1-2cm.

The umbilical cord contains two arteries and one vein buried within the Wharton’s jelly. The umbilical vein supplies the fetus with high oxygen and nutrient-rich blood from the placenta, and the umbilical artery pumps low oxygen and nutrition-depleted blood back to the placenta. This process also removes waste products from fetal circulation.

Apart from its prenatal role, the benefits of the umbilical cord are also seen in its future use. The umbilical cord, which used to be discarded in the past, is now preserved for its future benefits. Umbilical cord preservation is the process of removing the umbilical cord after birth and preserving it either for emotional or medical reasons.

Benefits of Umbilical Cord Preservation

Here are the benefits of preserving cord blood stem cells:

• The stem cells extracted from cord blood can be used to treat four types of medical conditions, like cancers, blood disorders, congenital metabolic disorders, and immunodeficiencies..
• It offers myriad benefits as compared to bone marrow cells, like being easily available, reduced risk of rejection, less risk of transmission of infection, and less costly than bone marrow collection.
• Umbilical cord blood is collected with no harm, either to the mother or the baby and in an ethical manner.

Learn More About Umbilical Cord Preservation and Stem Cell Banking

Cryoviva, one of India’s top stem cell banking service providers, offers a multitude of services to protect your baby’s long-term health. Visit the cryoviva website to explore myriad stem cell banking plans so you can secure your future from life-threatening diseases at an affordable cost.