In some maternity hospitals, a new service - taking the cord blood for storage. Should this service is not cheap - a few thousand dollars, followed by an annual payment of blood storage. Does it makes sense to store umbilical cord blood?

What is umbilical cord blood and for which it is collected

Umbilical cord blood - blood that is collected from the umbilical cord after ligation of its parent segment and placenta. A feature of this blood is that there are many so-called stem cells. Stem cells are the basis from which later formed red blood cells (erythrocytes), white blood cells (leukocytes) and platelets (thrombocytes).

Save this blood just in case it is stored frozen in special cord blood banks for all human life. Umbilical cord blood may be useful, for example, the development of a child's leukemia - cancer associated with the uncontrolled multiplication of immature blood cells. One way to treat this disease is to eliminate using special methods such chemotherapeutic "spoiled" cells and administering to the infant donor bone marrow cells, ie bone marrow transplant.

By itself, a bone marrow transplant procedure is simple - it is performed with a dropper. But the fact is that it is very difficult to find a suitable donor, whose blood will be fully compatible with the patient's blood. Suitable usually blood relatives, and then not always.

Using taken during childbirth umbilical cord blood may help in this case not only to the child but also his close relatives. But this method is not yet fully developed and has not been studied. In the future, perhaps a large selection of cord blood may help us choose the blood, is fully compatible with the blood of the patient, if they overcome some of the difficulties in applying this methodology.

What hampers widespread use of cord blood to treat leukemia

It would seem, what obstacles there may arise when introduced its own cells? Moreover, they contain a lot of young, active stem cells Stem cells: on the edge of scandal Retain the ability to regenerate?

It turns out that there are obstacles. Practice has shown that stem cells from umbilical cord blood ripen more slowly than the stem cells derived from adult blood donor. Sometimes it creates very great difficulties in the treatment of child, because using pre-treatment in his blood were destroyed almost all leukocytes and platelets Platelets - what they are for the body? . Such a child is absolutely defenseless against any infection and may die from bleeding for any scratches or bruises.

So many hematologists are wary of the use of cord blood as a substitution therapy. However, the method is promising and may subsequently developed leukemia therapies using cord blood.

So maybe it makes sense to store umbilical cord blood for a person's entire life. Today being developed by the use of cord blood in the treatment of other diseases: cancer, connective tissue diseases (such as scleroderma Scleroderma - affects all the organs , Lupus erythematosus), autoimmune disorders, stroke, multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis - whether in remission? Alzheimer's disease and so on. But all this is still under investigation.

How to harvest and store umbilical cord blood

Cord blood was collected immediately after the ligation of the cord and its parent segment from the placenta by syringe and placed in a special container which contains a sterile solution of a substance, Warning blood coagulation (anticoagulants). Then the blood during the day enters the cord blood bank, where her first check for infections, and then remove the excess plasma and red blood cells, almost all - a concentrate.

The concentrate was first investigated by laboratory methods to detect cell viability, and then frozen and stored for the entire life. In addition to the main part of the frozen cord blood is saved as a small amount of blood for laboratory tests, if the blood does not need a man himself, and his close relatives. In this case blood is always checked for compatibility.

Banking cord blood can be personal (registered) that stores umbilical cord blood of certain people, which can then be used at their discretion. Furthermore, there are cord blood banks, stores the donor blood to be used in future therapeutic purposes to treat different patients.

The use of cord blood to treat - is not yet fully learned the method, but it has a lot of chances to become in the future is very promising.

Galina Romanenko

Contractions begin slowly, sometimes they precede false contractions, which may appear a few weeks before pregnancy and is called training. The woman in this period should be continuous monitoring of their condition, allowing it timely to go to hospital.

The real battle - a period of cervical dilatation

The true fight against false differ regularity and gradual decrease in the intervals between them. The first regular contractions occur at intervals of 20-15 minutes, then this time is reduced simultaneously with the increase in the duration, intensity and pain of contractions.

During contractions of the uterus muscles actively reduced, the muscle fibers contract, shifted relative to each other and stretched. In the different parts of the uterus work musculature occurs in different ways in the body of the uterus where predominant longitudinal muscle fibers, predominant reduction process, and in the lower part of the uterus - in the neck region and the isthmus where located mainly circular muscle fibers predominate during stretching and reduction.

The reduction is necessary in this case to ensure that after stretching the muscles are not returning to its original position. Thus, gradually, from the battle to fight the cervix opens. During the opening of the cervix is ​​involved, as the reduction of muscles of the uterus, and the constant pressure from the top down membranes and the baby's head.

At first childbirth cervical dilatation is not as in repeated. In nulliparous women, first disclosed internal os of the cervix, then the cervix becomes thinner (anti-aliased) and finally opens the outer mouth. Women who give birth again, there is a simultaneous disclosure of the internal and external os - it significantly reduces the first stage of labor. Full disclosure of the cervix is ​​considered an extension hole 11-12 cm.

How should behave the woman during labor

At home, when the fight has just begun, the woman during labor can walk or lie on your side - it prevents the compression of the inferior vena cava. When the contractions begin to appear every seven minutes, call an ambulance and go to the maternity hospital. By the time a woman to come, fights will occur more frequently, every five minutes.

In addition, the maternity hospital should go if the water broke, that is, violating the integrity of membranes. After violation of the integrity of membranes is a risk of infection of the fetus, therefore, delivery should take place quickly and under medical supervision.

Once the cervix is ​​fully revealed, the integrity of the membranes under the influence of increased intrauterine pressure is broken and there is a timely rupture of membranes. Then the contractions become less intense or even stop for a while and then become very strong and moving in attempts - begins the second stage of labor - the period of the expulsion of the fetus.

Water can depart quickly or slowly - in this case, the discharge of their constrains the fetal head. The doctor has the opportunity to observe the process of discharge of water. The admixture of stool (meconium) of the fetus in the amniotic fluid indicates that the fetus suffers from a lack of oxygen. Even more dangerous, if the amniotic fluid have an admixture of blood - this suggests lacerations of the birth canal or placental abruption.

In order to speed up the delivery, women are advised to lie on the side where the detectable fetal neck. If the woman is lying on his back, it is best to take the semi-sitting position, since in this case the longitudinal axis of the fetus and uterus match, which will accelerate the delivery.

How bout affect the condition of the child

During contractions the uterus compresses the fruit, breaking both of his blood circulation. If the water has not moved, then the process is not as painful as the water is a shock absorber, a warning of fetal injury. After the discharge of water, and the shock absorber is no longer a child "get" even more. Therefore, during labor trying not to tighten too much, especially if you have already moved the water.

Throughout the period of the state of child labor are watching, listening to his heart, including using a special method of investigation - CTG. If the threat of fetal hypoxia increases, it raises the question of induction of labor or caesarean section.

Prepared woman, clearly showing that it will occur during childbirth, much easier to tolerate the longest, difficult and painful stage of labor - contractions. In addition, it is able to distinguish the true from the false contractions, that is to understand when starting labor.

Galina Romanenko