- With Mayo Clinic certified nurse-midwife
Mary Murry, R.N., C.N.M.
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Mary Murry, R.N., C.N.M.
Mary Murry, R.N., C.N.M.
Mary Murry is a nurse-midwife practitioner who is certified by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.
A Cincinnati native, she is a nurse-midwife and instructor of obstetrics and gynecology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
Mary has been a nurse-midwife practitioner for more than 20 years. She co-edited the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy.
Her research interests include adult female survivors of sexual abuse, women's perception of pain in labor and obesity in pregnancy.
Latest entries
- H1N1 vaccine and pregnancy
Oct. 27, 2009
- Blog: Gestational diabetes
Sept. 24, 2009
- Revisiting pregnancy loss
Aug. 20, 2009
- Blog: Bringing home baby
July 9, 2009
- Reflections on parenting
June 9, 2009
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Pregnancy and you blog
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March 24, 2009
Cord blood banking — to save or not to save
By Mary Murry, R.N., C.N.M.
It seems like every pregnancy magazine or Internet site has advertisements regarding cord blood banking. I thought it might be helpful to share the current information.
Umbilical cord blood transplantation has shown encouraging results, but in general is still considered investigational, according to research.
The literature points out that cord blood banked by a family is most likely to be used by the donor's siblings. Indications for cord blood banking are few — certain genetic, hematologic, and malignant disorders.
There are 2 main ways to bank cord blood. The first is using public cord blood banks. These public banks collect and store cord blood for use by any individual who has a medical indication. A limited number of hospitals have these facilities and a mother must deliver there in order to donate.
The second type is private banks. They facilitate the collection of cord blood for families who are willing and able to pay for the service. The stored cord blood is reserved for use by that family. Another type of cord blood banking is called directed cord blood banking. It's used by families who have a child or other family member with a potentially transplant-treatable disease and are now expecting another child.
How long umbilical cord blood cells remain viable with current methods of storage has not been determined. Quality control procedures are still in development. It's been estimated the chance children would ever benefit from using their own cord blood is one in 2,700 individuals. Right now, there are more questions than answers. There are legal, ethical, and regulatory aspects of cord blood banking to be considered. This doesn't touch on the financial issues.
The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't recommend routine storage of infant cord blood. Private cord banking isn't allowed in Italy and Spain, and other European committees have indicated concern regarding the ethical status of private cord banks.
I recommend that if you are considering cord blood banking, discuss it with your health care provider so you'll have the most up to date information before making a decision. What do you think about the issue?
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