The umbilical cord is a tube that connects the fetus and the placenta and is called the so-called “HESONO-O” in Japan. The umbilical cord that connects the baby to the mother contains many hematopoietic stem cells that makeup blood cells such as red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Cord blood, leukemia, blood disease such as aplastic anemia is said to be used for the treatment of "cord blood transplantation" and certain hereditary diseases.

My friend has been diagnosed with myelogenous leukemia and has been fighting since last year. Regarding “cord blood transplantation,” I heard from a friend as one of the future treatment methods, but for the first time today I knew about this transplantation treatment method.

I used to work at a publishing company that publishes parenting magazines, but I was in an environment where there were a lot of professional specialist editors near me. But I didn't know anything about this blood transplant, and I never even heard of it. I want to know in information about the disease and the situation of cord blood transplantation and understand even a little.

I have some questions for those who have a baby and those who are going to have a baby. Have you ever been informed about this cord blood transplant at an obstetrics hospital?

※ The cord blood collection method is described on the following Web site. (http://www.bmdc.jrc.or.jp/generalpublic/saitai.html) 

In “cord blood transplantation”, the cord is separated at the time of delivery and the cord is separated while placing the placenta in the mother's body, and then the cord is punctured with a needle to collect only the blood remaining in the cord and the placenta. It seems to be a risk-free method for the mother. (Source: 日本赤十字社サイト)