Effective in treating various diseasesThe only time precious cord blood can be collected is at birth

The umbilical cord is the umbilical cord of a newborn baby, and as we discussed in our 18th post on “Debeso,” the umbilical cord connects the placenta on the mother's side of the abdomen to the baby, through which the baby receives nutrition and oxygen from the mother to grow.
The umbilical cord at birth is about 2 cm in diameter and 50-60 cm long.
Cord blood is rich in “stem cells,” which are the source of bone, muscle, heart, skin, nerves, blood, and other body functions. In particular, it has been reported that cord blood is rich in hematopoietic stem cells, which are the source of blood, and mesenchymal stem cells, which are the source of nerves, bones, muscles, fat, etc. Research has shown that cord blood is effective in the treatment of various diseases.

The only time such precious cord blood can be collected is during childbirth.

Such precious cord blood can only be collected for a brief moment at birth, and only for a short time after the baby is delivered.
When the baby is delivered, the umbilical cord is immediately disconnected. The placenta and umbilical cord are still inside the mother at that time, but the placenta, also known as the afterbirth, is naturally expelled from the mother's abdomen less than 10 minutes after delivery, so it is necessary to collect it during those 10 minutes.
To collect cord blood, a syringe needle is inserted into the umbilical cord to collect cord blood, which is then stored in a special bag.
Please be assured that you will not feel any pain when the needle is inserted into the surface of the umbilical cord. Usually about 70-80 cc of cord blood is collected, after which the placenta is naturally expelled from the mother's abdomen and the birth is over.
Around the world, research is being conducted on the use of this cord blood for a variety of therapeutic purposes.
However, you must register before giving birth in order to have a dedicated cord blood collection bag.

In Japan, there are two ways to store cord bloodPublic and Private Banks

So what is the best way to store important cord blood?
There are two ways to store your money in Japan. They are public banks and private banks.
If you wish to be vaccinated at a public bank, you must give birth at a medical facility affiliated with a public cord blood bank and can only be vaccinated at a hospital facility affiliated with the public cord blood bank. In other words, you must give birth at that facility.
Cord blood stored in public cord blood banks is donated free of charge by mothers who have given birth, so that it can be used for patients in need of cord blood for many leukemias and other diseases.
Currently, there are six public cord blood banks in Japan with approximately 10,000 cord blood units in storage, and all people are entitled to receive a cord blood transplant if they are diagnosed with a specific disease, such as leukemia or aplastic anemia, as defined by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare ordinance, and need a cord blood transplant.
Leukemia is known as bone marrow transplantation, but compared to bone marrow transplantation, there are advantages such as less rejection and less burden on the donor.

Private banking is where personal cord blood is stored for individuals to use in case the baby himself or herself or his or her family suffers from an incurable disease and can be used as an insurance policy for diseases for which there is no probable cure for the future. The advantage is that the probability of matching is also higher due to the high degree of blood relationship.
In addition to blood disorders, it is also used to treat cerebral palsy, autoimmune diseases, and cranial nerve disorders.
However, the cost of storage must be borne by the individual.


In addition, private banks are required to notify the MHLW of the nature of their business and management methods.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) requires notifications and reports on the nature of operations, management system of stored cord blood, etc., in order to understand the nature of operations and to ensure that appropriate information on cord blood private banking operations is provided to those who have contracted for such services.

Currently, the following are some of the places that have notified us of their private banking business.

• ● StemCell Institute　https://www.stemcell.co.jp/en/
• ● Eil Inc　https://www.saitaiketsu.com/

You can request information materials, etc., so it is best to carefully consider this with your family and decide what is best for you.