Smita Singh, 28, and her husband Amit, a government official, are expecting their first child this July. Ever since Smita’s gynaecologist urged her to think about banking her umbilical cord blood cells at the time of delivery, the conversation at the Singh home has revolved around this issue—the couple is worried about the expenses and confused by other doctors’ scepticism on the issue. At the same time, they don’t want to miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The premise behind cord blood banking is simple: Research has revealed that the umbilical cord is a rich source of stem cells, which are the building blocks of our body. With medical science betting on stem cells to regenerate ageing or diseased tissues, it makes sense to store your cord blood rather than throw it away.
Delhi-based Divya Mittal left the decision till the very last minute—enrolling just two days before her delivery. But now 16 months later, as she reads more and more about the issue, and watches her son Abhay gambol in the park, she says she is happy with her decision.
Garima Jain, a Gurgaon-based dentist, had no such apprehensions. The day someone dropped a flyer at her clinic and she learnt about umbilical cord banking facilities in India, she was sure she would go in for it. “At that time, I was not even married,” she exclaims, “but being a doctor, I had read enough about it to be convinced.” She kept the leaflet handy and called up the company concerned, LifeCell, the minute she learnt that she was pregnant. “For me, health comes first, before money or property,” she says firmly.
Garima is not alone. And it’s not just the much-publicized likes of actor Raveena Tandon, politician Priya Dutt or cricketer Ajit Agarkar’s wife who are choosing to deep freeze their babies’ umbilical cord blood in cryogenic vaults. More and more women from all walks of life are opting for it.
A global trend —though slow to reach Indian shores—is now catching up in the country, with a host of players offering private banking facilities. Currently, four players—Reliance Life Sciences, LifeCell (a tie-up between Asia Cryo-Cell and Florida-based CryoCell International), Cryobanks International India (a joint venture between US-based Cryobanks International and RJ Corp) and CryoStemcell—offer a nation-wide network of cryogenic vaults, where the cord blood is stored in temperatures of minus 196 degrees.
Dr Suman Kher, senior consultant gynaecologist, Max Healthcare, says the awareness level, especially among the well-heeled clientele that Max caters to, is so high that rather than the gynaecologist telling expectant parents about the facility, they first ask her opinion about it.