Publication:

Awareness of cord blood banking among pregnant women in semi urban area

Background Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are multipotent stem cells, derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood and umbilical cord. These HSC are accepted method of treatment for various disorders. Cord blood can be stored either in private or public bank. Awareness about cord blood banking among semi urban and rural population is less compared to urban population. The aim of our study is to evaluate the awareness of cord blood banking among pregnant women in semi urban area and to evaluate their willingness for donating to public blood bank.

Methods This is a cross sectional study done among 365 pregnant women attending antenatal OPD in Obstetrics and Gynecology department of SMVMCH, Puducherry.

Results Forty five percent of pregnant women had knowledge about uses of umbilical cord blood usage during pregnancy. Only 5 % of pregnant women knew about cost of stem cell storage. Less than 1% knew about availability of public cord blood banking. After informing about availability of public cord blood storage 72% of pregnant women were willing to donate to public bank.

Conclusions Knowledge about cord blood banking is lacking among pregnant women. Especially majority of them are unaware of public cord blood banking. Private banking will be useful for those with family members affected with diseases amenable to HSC transplantation. More support from government and private organizations are required, which will help in better functioning of public cord blood bank services.