
Should You Bank Your Baby's Amniotic Fluid?
Everything a mom-to-be needs to know about collecting and storing amniotic fluid
Jan 25, 2011
Pregnancy & PostpartumLearn about our editorial policies
During a pregnancy, a mom-to-be is faced with so many decisions that it can become overwhelming. Many of those decisions—such as how to share the good news, how many onesies to get or what color to paint the nursery—can be made on a whim. Other decisions, however, such as which prenatal tests to undergo or which medications to take while pregnant, require research and forethought.
Today, thanks to advances in stem cell research, there is one more important decision for a new mom to make: to bank, or not to bank, her baby's amniotic fluid.
Because there are still many unknowns related to amniotic fluid and its potential for future uses, the decision to have it collected for storing is one you may want to discuss with your partner and your health care provider. Below you'll find information to help you decide.
First, you need to understand what amniotic fluid is and why it may be valuable enough to you and your family for storing.
What Is Amniotic Fluid?
Amniotic fluid is the clear, slightly yellowish liquid that surrounds your baby within the amniotic sac. In addition to providing your baby with nourishment and protection while he or she is in utero, amniotic fluid has additional benefits, because it is one of richest, natural sources of stem cells.
Why Bank Amniotic Fluid?
There are three significant benefits to banking amniotic fluid:
How Is Amniotic Fluid Collected?
If you have decided to have an amniocentesis, collecting amniotic fluid for banking during your procedure is easy. Banking your fluid will not change the prenatal testing procedure in any way and will not have any impact on the tests results.
Many health care professionals typically withdraw more fluid than necessary for the prenatal test. So, rather than discarding already withdrawn leftover amniotic fluid, mothers now have the option to preserve a small portion, often just about a teaspoonful, of the fluid for decades.
What Are Stem Cells and Where Do They Come From?
Stem cells are the basic building blocks of a human organism, from which all other types of cells originate. They have remarkable potential for use in medicine because they can develop into different types of cells such as brain cells, heart cells, skin cells or muscle cells.
Stem cell research is one of the most important medical and scientific areas of study today, and each new discovery in the use of these cells moves the medical community one step closer to finding treatments for many life-threatening conditions and diseases.
There are many types of stem cells and four main sources for obtaining them: adult cells, cord blood cells, amniotic fluid cells and embryonic cells. The collection and use of stem cells from amniotic fluid avoids any potential ethical concerns because they are harvested without any harm to the baby.
What Are the Differences Between Amniotic Fluid and Cord Blood?
During pregnancy, you have the option to collect stem cells from amniotic fluid or cord blood, so it's important to understand the differences between the two:
What Are the Pros and Cons of Banking Amniotic Fluid?
As you consider the option of banking your baby's amniotic fluid, weigh the pros and cons for yourself and keep these points in mind:
Although current uses for mesenchymal stem cells are limited, the uses could expand rapidly if technological advances with amniotic stem cells are similar to recent advances with cord stem cells. Preserving and storing your baby's amniotic fluid stem cells could potentially offer your child, and other members of your immediate family, an opportunity to benefit from these advances in medical treatments.
For more information, speak with your health care professional so that you may make an educated decision about banking amniotic fluid.