Stem cells normally are collected from two sources. 1 is from adult tissues and the other from embryos. From the stem cells collected from embryonic stem cells almost any cell-kind found in the human body can be obtained. But the distinct procedures can harm the embryo. Stem cells can be also preserved from umbilical cord blood but it can be collected only at birth. Collecting adult stem cells does not involve any ethical concern but its collection comprises a complicated process. Compared to collection of embryonic and adult stem cells collection stem cells from menstrual blood collection is fairly effortless. No ethical concern is related to this process and it is an option source that is readily accessible.

Menstrual blood stem cells collection procedures are neither unethical nor they cause any harm or pain to the woman donating blood. From a donor menstrual blood can be collected for over 35 years. Starting from the age of 12 years it can be donated till the donor is about 47 years old. Moreover stem cells from menstrual blood have numerous advantages compared to the ones collected from other sources. With embryonic stem cells 1 of the significant difficulties is of immune rejection. Because the stem cells collected from menstrual blood of a donor is her own cells the opportunity of immune rejection does not arise.

Cord blood also termed as Umbilical Cord is actually the blood that is preserved in the placenta and umbilical cord during the time of delivery of baby. In such circumstances, the blood is usually discharged after the delivery. However, now surgeons have found that it is valuable resource of stem cells, and cord blood donation have become a great and viable alternative to bone marrow in millions of successful transplants.

The very first benefit of cord blood collection and stem cell banking is that they can be easily extracted without much pain and risk for the infant and the mother. The umbilical cord stem cells have higher risks of engraftment, through more forbearing on HLA mismatches and reduced chances of being contaminated with dormant viruses. Moreover, the body accepts the cord blood cells much better than bone marrow. In addition, the preserved cord blood stem cells can be easily accessible to allow the patients to get the treatment earlier if needed without much waste of time in the matching process as in cases of banked blood cells. Moreover, most of the blood banks may not charge anything to retrieve the stored stem cells of the infants if required for transplant later on.

There are several other benefits of cord blood banking. In most cases, the matched cord blood stem cells required for cord blood transplants may be difficult to retrieve due to matching requirements. The blood cells taken from the infants are perfect match for them over their lifetime. In the circumstances when the baby is infected with a disease that must be treated with radiation or chemotherapy, there is high probability that it may cause negative impact on the internal organs and immune system. As self transplant is not always the appropriate procedure for treating every disease, may have the benefits to repopulate and bolster the blood and immune system of the infants as a result of impediment from other surgical treatments.

In emergency situations, physicians often need to give their patient a blood transfusion. Such an emergency often happens when an injury causes a patient to lose blood fast. Cross-Matching, is a test done by physicians to determine if the donated blood matches the recipient’s blood that is in dire need of a blood transfusion. There are two ways to do cross-match test: Electronic and Manual.

Electronic Cross-Matching: You simply inject the donor’s blood and the recipient’s blood into a machine which connects to a computer. If all the necessary components of the blood are compatible, the computer prints off a sheet that tells you that it is safe to do a transfusion with this blood. The physician can then safely perform the transfusion of the blood. The electronic method is favored because it is quick. This is an important factor during emergencies when a patient has lost a lot of blood.

The only negative about this method is its reliability. Physicians question the margin of safety. A computer can always make a mistake.