Cord blood Toronto
During pregnancy, the umbilical cord is formed as a connection between mother and baby to give the fetus everything it wants to develop. Immediately after birth, the cord blood provides another way to give life.
Let's have a look at the function and physiology of the umbilical cord.
Physiology of the umbilical cord
In the end, an umbilical measures about half a meter, a length that allows the child to move safely. It consists of two small arteries and a larger vein. The arteries transport blood from the fetus to the placenta, while the vein releases blood from the placenta to the fetus.
At birth, the umbilical cord is cut off, and the remaining part becomes the navel.
Physiology of the placenta
The umbilical cord connects to the baby's stomach from the placenta, which in turn is related to the mother's uterus. The placenta is responsible for the production of pregnancy hormones and hosts an important nutritional exchange between the mother's and child's blood flow.
Small blood vessels carry fetal blood through the placenta, which is full of maternal blood. The nutrients and oxygen pass from the mother's blood to the fetal blood, and the waste is a sent back to the mother's blood without mixing the two blood supplies.
After birth, the placenta separates from the uterus and expelled.
Cord blood Toronto
After the birth of the child and the cut of the umbilical cord, there are traces of blood in the umbilical cord and the placenta. The child does not need this extra blood.
The umbilical cord blood contains all the normal elements of the blood, but it is also rich in stem cells similar to those of the bone marrow. The stem cells of the umbilical cord can be used to treat more than 80 different diseases and many others in the research phase.
There is a small time window at birth to collect umbilical cord blood. The harvested umbilical cord blood is cryogenically frozen and stored in umbilical cord blood Toronto. If an immediate family member needs stem cells for treatment, there is a good chance that the blood stored by the umbilical cord is compatible.
The umbilical cord blood can also store to a public bank.