In recent years, more and more women in Romania are documenting themselves, already during pregnancy, about the methods of protecting the baby. The most common options for this are harvesting stem cells at birth and/or delaying the cutting of the umbilical cord. Even if, in the online environment, the two procedures are usually described as being in opposition, the scientific community speaks, rather, of a complementary relationship between the two options.
I spoke with Dr. Ioan Boleac, Obstetrics-Gynecology primary care doctor, doctor of medical sciences, specializing in in vitro fertilization, to find out what is the scientific definition of delayed clamping, how long can the baby be kept attached to the umbilical cord , what are the benefits for the newborn and also how the baby can benefit from both the delayed clamping process and stem cell harvesting.
“Clamping is the procedure of severing the umbilical cord at birth. This intervention can be performed early, 15-30 seconds after birth, or it can be delayed between 1 and 3 minutes. Although there are voices that support delaying the cutting of the umbilical cord even for 10-15 minutes, it is important to understand that the World Health Organization recommends that the cutting of the umbilical cord should take place, however, at a maximum of three minutes after birth. So, in order to enjoy the benefits of delayed clamping but, at the same time, to stay within the limits recommended by specialists, the delay in cutting the umbilical cord should not exceed 3 minutes after birth. It should also be mentioned that the benefits of delayed clamping are most clearly demonstrated for children born prematurely, but more and more studies are being published that show the positive impact of this process also in the case of children born at term”, says Dr. Ioan Boleac .
Among the most important benefits of delayed clamping are:
More blood for the newborn
In the first few minutes after birth, the umbilical cord continues to carry blood from the placenta to the newborn. Delayed clamping allows more blood to reach the baby, which can be beneficial for its overall health in the first six months of life.
More iron for the newborn
The blood transported through the umbilical cord also contains a significant amount of iron. So delaying umbilical cord cutting for 1-3 minutes will allow more iron to reach the newborn, essential for the development of the baby’s brain and immune system.
Decreased risk of anemia
Delaying umbilical cord clamping can reduce the risk of anemia in the first months of the baby’s life.
A faster recovery for the mother:
Also, delayed cutting of the umbilical cord can facilitate easier detachment of the placenta from the uterine wall, which can lead to a faster recovery for the mother.
“In the West, delayed clamping has been a widely used practice for many years. However, I am happy to note that, recently, in Romania too, there has been an increase in the number of pregnant women who request a delay in the sectioning of the umbilical cord. I encourage expectant mothers to ask their gynecologist for information about the benefits of delayed clamping and then make an informed decision,” adds Dr. Ioan Boleac.
Delayed clamping or stem cell harvesting at birth?
Even though delaying the umbilical cord cutting process decreases the amount of blood available for collection, parents who want both delayed clamping and stem cell collection can enjoy the benefits of both procedures.
“Delaying umbilical cord cutting at birth does not preclude harvesting the placenta and other biological products that are sources of different types of stem cells. On the contrary, I would like to recommend to parents who opt for both delaying the cutting of the umbilical cord and the harvesting of stem cells to also choose the harvesting of the placenta, so that both the newborn and the whole family can benefit from a sufficient amount of stem cells, as well as an increased diversity of them. Kept in cryogenic conditions, they will be able to be used in the future, if necessary,” adds Dr. Ioan Boleac.
What are the benefits of harvesting the placenta at birth
Romania is among the few countries in Europe where parents can choose to harvest for their baby and family the largest amount of stem cells available at birth. This is possible by harvesting the entire placental tissue.
“The harvesting takes place in the hospital, being carried out by the very doctor who delivered the baby, after he and the mother are safe. There are no risks or pain,” says Dr. Ioan Boleac.
The placenta contains the greatest quantity and diversity of stem cells – an extremely important factor in the use of these cells. At the same time, cells from the placenta are immunoevasive: they express low – or no – levels of HLA compatibility markers, meaning they could be used to treat diseases in any family member.
Specialists in Western Europe and the US believe that harvesting the entire placental tissue is the best option when it comes to stem cell sampling at birth, given the more than 85 diseases for which there is already a standardized indication for use and clinical trials with results promising results showing that diabetes, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, pulmonary fibrosis and other conditions could be successfully treated using placental stem cells.
Stem cell harvesting at birth: what to watch out for
- Storage of stem cells in the country
Once the decision has been made to harvest stem cells at birth, it is important to compare the different types of offers on the market. In Romania, there are both companies that store stem cells abroad, as well as companies that have developed domestic processing and storage centers. Given that placenta and other biological samples collected at birth must arrive for processing as soon as possible, it is important to ask where the processing and storage of the samples will take place.
- Harvesting of whole placental tissue
Harvesting stem cells is an action you take out of concern for the future. Thus, it is important that during the harvesting process you opt for the largest amount of stem cells available at birth, so that they can be used both by the newborn and, in case of need, by other family members. Well, in order to get this, you need to request both stem cell harvesting from the blood and umbilical cord tissue as well as whole placental tissue sampling.
- Prices on sight
A serious company will practice spot pricing. So, when doing your research to choose the company to store the stem cells harvested at birth, make sure you get clear and concise information. A simple visit to the company’s website should answer even your questions about price and the location of storage banks. If this information is hidden or unavailable, or if you are asked to give up personal data in exchange for it, this should raise more questions.
How are stem cells used?
Hematopoietic stem cells found in umbilical cord blood and placenta are already used to treat more than 85 diseases.
“The diseases in which they are used most frequently (stem cells no) – are hematological, blood cancers, i.e. certain leukemias, lymphomas, Hodgkin’s or non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, myelomas, myelodysplastic syndromes. This type of therapy is also used against various blood diseases, in various types of anemia, in thalassemia, but also to treat various neurological diseases.
In principle, at the moment, it is in an experimental therapy stage, but it seems that the results are promising – for example, in patients who have suffered a stroke. Currently, stem cell therapy is added to all other forms of pharmaceutical therapy. They are not mutually exclusive. The goal is to ensure the best possible recovery, post-stroke, to regain motor functions and cognitive functions,” says Dr. Ioan Boleac.
Romanian doctors are increasingly proposing treatments with stem cells harvested at birth
With the publication of more and more studies attesting to the importance of using different types of stem cells harvested at birth, an increase in the administration of these therapies is also observed in Romania.
For example, in 2022 alone, Cord Blood Center, the first and largest stem cell bank in Romania, released more cord blood units for use than in the period 1999-2016 combined.
“Last year we released 68 units of umbilical cord blood collected at birth, for the treatment of conditions such as cerebral palsy, ASD, stroke, multiple sclerosis and others, in patients between the ages of 3 and 66. Eight of these units were administered autologously at a private hospital in Romania. By the end of 2022, the Cord Blood Center has released 257 units of hematopoietic stem cells from the umbilical cord blood collected at birth,” says Dr. Lavinia Tarba, chief laboratory physician at the Cord Blood Center.
2023-05-02 11:32:32
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