Learn if You Can Donate Cord Blood

Donating umbilical cord blood to a public cord blood bank has the potential to give hope to someone in need. To protect the health of patients who may receive donated cord blood, the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Network of cord blood banks has strict quality standards. Only cord blood units that meet these standards will be stored and listed on the NMDP's Be The Match Registry^SM for patients in need of a transplant.

To be used for a transplant, a cord blood unit must be large enough (contain enough blood-forming cells) and it cannot show signs of infection or other medical concerns. (This is to ensure that infection or disease is not passed on to a transplant patient.) Establishing eligibility guidelines for mothers who plan to donate cord blood is a way to check, in advance, for possible medical concerns.

Eligibility guidelines for expectant mothers

As part of the cord blood donation process, a cord blood bank will review your health history to determine whether you are eligible to be a cord blood donor. The health history includes questions about the areas listed below along with other questions about your health.

1. Age:

   Donors must usually be 18 or older and in good health. Some cord blood banks will accept donations from women 16 or older.

2. AIDS:

   If you have, or are at risk for, HIV/AIDS, you cannot become a cord blood donor.

3. Cancer:

   If you have had cured local skin cancer (only simple basal cell or squamous cell) or cervical cancer, you still may be eligible. All other forms of cancer make you ineligible to donate cord blood.

4. Diabetes:

   If you have medication-dependent diabetes, you may not be eligible to donate. Women with gestational diabetes will usually be eligible to donate. If you have diabetes, talk to your cord blood bank about your eligibility.

5. Hepatitis:

   If you have positive Hepatitis B surface antigen or Hepatitis C, you are not eligible to donate. If you have any other history of hepatitis, a cord blood bank will evaluate your eligibility. You may still be eligible if you have received the hepatitis vaccine.

6. Malaria:

   If you had malaria more than three years ago, you are still eligible. You are also still eligible if you have finished a full course of antimalarial drugs more than six months ago.

7. Organ or tissue transplant:

   If you have received a heart, lung, kidney, bone marrow or other organ or tissue transplant, you are not eligible to be a cord blood donor.

8. Sexually transmitted diseases:

   Any history of sexually transmitted diseases within the last 12 months must be evaluated by the cord blood bank.

9. Tattoos and skin or body piercing:

   If you have received any tattoos within the last twelve months, you are not eligible to be a cord blood donor. Circumstances and timing of ear, skin and body piercings are evaluated by the cord blood bank.