Acts of Love

As with blood donation, there are certain clinical conditions and risk factors that exclude individuals from donating placental blood. For this reason, donor couples are required to complete health history questionnaires, which are carefully evaluated by the medical staff at the Collection Center.

• • Unavailable family medical history
  • Father is untraceable
  • Autoimmune diseases
  • Cancerous or neoplastic conditions
  • Use of illicit drugs
  • High-risk sexual behaviors
  • Positive serology (Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Syphilis, HIV)
  • Family history of genetic diseases

These criteria are related to obstetric or neonatal factors and are assessed by medical and obstetric staff during pregnancy and at the time of delivery. They include:

·       Gestation lasting fewer than 37 weeks

·       Membrane rupture lasting more than 12 hours

·       Maternal fever exceeding 38°C (100.4°F) during delivery

·       Operative vaginal delivery

·       Known congenital abnormalities in the newborn

·       Evidence of fetal distress

More than half of the collected units may not meet the volume or cell count requirements for storage but can still be used for research purposes. Regardless of whether the placental blood is eligible for use, all related data is handled with strict confidentiality.

Umbilical cord blood donation is entirely safe and poses no risks to either the mother or the newborn during the collection process.

This type of donation allows placental blood to be given to anyone in need who is a compatible match. Information about donations is entered into a national registry that connects to international bone marrow donor registries, ensuring that patients worldwide can find compatible stem cells. Allogeneic donation is anonymous and free of charge. Mothers interested in donating can reconsider their decision at any time, even at the moment of delivery.

Dedicated donation is reserved for cases where the newborn or a close relative has a medical condition at the time of collection for which the use of cord blood stem cells is scientifically and clinically justified.
Cord blood can also be preserved for dedicated use in families with a high genetic risk of having additional children with specific conditions for which cord blood stem cells are deemed appropriate. Such cases require supporting clinical documentation provided by a specialist in the relevant medical field. Dedicated cord blood storage is free of charge, with all costs covered by the National Health Service (SSN).

Autologous donation involves storing cord blood for the newborn’s personal use.
The international scientific community does not recommend autologous cord blood storage because there are no established protocols for such transplants. Additionally, stem cell abnormalities present at birth in newborns who develop hematological conditions may render these cells unsuitable for transplantation in most cases.
In Italy, personal cord blood storage at private healthcare facilities, including accredited ones, is prohibited, as is any advertising related to these services.