Did you know that rates of twin and multiple births have almost doubled in the past 50 years in the UK? This is mostly due to fertility treatments being more easily accessible, as well as delayed age of conception which increases your chances of having multiples.
Today we’re answering a question we are increasingly asked by our families: can I store cord blood for twins or triplets?
Can I bank cord blood for twins or triplets?
The short answer is yes, of course!
There is no need to do anything different with cord blood collection at a twin, triplet or multiple birth, aside from having a collection kit for each baby.
Why do I need to store cord blood for both babies?
It may seem a bit silly at first glance to need to store cord blood for both (or all!) of your babies, however there are benefits for each child. Fraternal twins (which are the most common) will have the same 1 in 4 chance of being a suitable genetic match for transplant as siblings born at different times. While it is possible for siblings or other family members to use the stem cells extracted from each other’s cord blood for stem cell treatment or therapy, storing their own for each child offers them the best chance of having a perfect stem cell match in the future, should they need it.
Will there be enough cord blood for twins, triplets or multiples?
Some parents worry as twins, triplets and multiples are commonly smaller than average at birth due to sharing the same womb space, and because they are often not carried quite as long as other babies, that they may not have as much cord blood available to store.
The good news is that whether your babies are twins, triplets, quadruplets or even more, each of them has their own umbilical cord with its own blood and tissue that is rich in the precious stem cells that you want to save for the future.
There is evidence to suggest that a slightly smaller amount of cord blood is collected at multiple births (up to 10% less), but that the blood often contains sufficient numbers of CD34+ stem cells, which are important in cord blood collections.
Does it make a difference to cord blood storage if my twins are fraternal or identical?
The increase in recent years that we’ve seen in multiple births has occurred in fraternal twins; the birth rate for identical twins has remained the same at around 1 in 250.
Fraternal twins, triplets or multiples are genetically just the same as non twin siblings; the only difference is that they have shared a single pregnancy and are born at the same time.
Fraternal multiples have a 1 in 4 chance of being a match to their siblings, but if you have the chance to store each baby’s cord blood, it’s an opportunity not to be missed as this widens the scope and possibility for therapeutic use.
Identical twins are genetically the same and they typically share the same placenta, aside from rare circumstances where the egg has split later into pregnancy. With identical twins, there may be less cord blood to collect in some cases but adequate stem cell target numbers may be obtained.
Do you have a discount for twins, triplets, or multiples?
We do! If you’re expecting multiples, please get in touch with our friendly Smart Cells team by calling 01895 424430 or by emailing uk@smartcells.com and mentioning your situation. We can offer 25% off the second package for cord blood and cord tissue. You can find out more about our pricing here.
