Bone Marrow Transplant vs Cord Blood Transplant - Which is Better?

Written By Samyukta Nagabhushana - June 18, 2025

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What comes to mind when considering your baby’s health? Perhaps a good diet, regular doctor check-ups, or a protective charm. But what if the actual protection is tucked away in your baby's umbilical cord blood? Sounds surprising? Well, your baby's cord blood contains powerful stem cells that can be used to treat 80+ various life-threatening diseases, including cancers.¹ On the other side, there's bone marrow, the more familiar option that's been around for decades. It has also been used to treat blood disorders and other severe conditions.

So now, as a parent, how will you choose between the two for your baby's health needs? Will you rely on the proven formula of bone marrow transplants or choose a cord blood transplant? Confused? Don't be! We're here to break down the two, explaining their pros and cons.

What Is Bone Marrow?

Bone marrow is a soft spongy tissue consisting of many blood vessels containing hematopoietic stem cells (an immature cell that can differentiate into any type of blood cell) present in the center of bones.¹ About 95% of the body’s blood cells are produced by our bone marrow.²

When the bone marrow is damaged it fails to produce healthy blood cells to keep up with the body's demands.³ This results in two conditions-⁴

Fewer red blood cells - the hemoglobin levels drop resulting in anemia
Fewer white blood cells - make you vulnerable to infections⁴

These conditions may arise due to severe bleeding disorders or life-threatening diseases like sickle cell anemia, leukemia, and lymphoma. The good news is that upon early detection, the conditions can be treated with a bone marrow transplant/ stem cell transplant.³

What is a Bone Marrow Transplant?

A Bone Marrow Transplant, also known as stem cell transplant is a medical procedure. Here, healthy stem cells are infused into the patient’s body to replace diseased or damaged stem cells inside the bone marrow.

There are different types of transplants including autologous transplant and allogeneic transplant. Autologous transplant is when the stem cells from your own body is used. Allogeneic transplant is when the stem cells from another donor are used. Finding a donor match for this type of transplant is important.⁵

What is Umbilical Cord Blood?

The blood in your baby’s umbilical cord and placenta is commonly known as cord blood. This blood remains in the umbilical cord and placenta even after delivery, albeit for a short time, and is often discarded post-delivery. However, cord blood has been found to be rich in blood-producing (hematopoietic) stem cells.⁶ These stem cells have regenerative properties and have immense potential in disease treatment. This includes blood disorders, blood cancers, immune disorders, and metabolic disorders.

Cord Blood Transplant At A Glance

Initially, this method of treatment was limited to children only because of the low cell dose. And it has shown high rates of success for both related and unrelated cord blood transplants in the pediatric setting. With greater emphasis on HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) match & cord blood units of sufficient cell dose, the results for cord blood transplantation in adults have also significantly improved.

Let’s now gain further insights into how a cord blood transplant is better than a bone marrow transplant.

Bone Marrow Transplant Vs Cord Blood Transplant

Both Bone Marrow stem cells transplant and Cord Blood Transplant can help regenerate new stem cells in the bone marrow. The new stem cells infused can help treat medical conditions such as acute leukemia, bone marrow failure, hemoglobinopathies, immune disorders and metabolic disorders.^6,7

Here are some evaluative criteria and transplant preferred for doctors and patients to decide what type of transplant is best suited.^{7, 8, 9, 10, 11}

Bone Marrow Transplant Vs Cord Blood Transplant

Reducing the Cost of Post Transplant Care with Cord Blood

Since 1989, when the first Cord Blood Transplant was carried out, umbilical Cord Blood Transplant has become a viable and effective alternative for Bone Marrow Transplant in patients in need of a stem cell transplant. Especially in children, both related and unrelated Cord Blood Transplants have been successfully performed for various blood,immune and metabolic disorders. It won’t be wrong to say that over the last 32 years, this field has seen significant advancements, improving transplant outcomes. Moreover, umbilical cord blood has enabled rapid availability and access to transplantation even in patients who belong to racial or ethnic minorities.¹²

Why Umbilical Cord Blood Transplant Stands Out

A recent study of Minnesota University Medical Center observed the healthcare burden after umbilical Cord Blood Transplants versus other sources of Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT).¹³

Highlights of the study

The study looked at services, procedures (including labs and imaging), medications prescribed, and relative value units billed to patients for professional services to estimate the healthcare burden among bone marrow, peripheral blood, and Umbilical Cord Blood Transplant patients.
It included 1077 allogeneic (from a donor) HSCT recipients more than 18 years old at the University of Minnesota Medical Center transplanted between 2000-2016.
Patients were followed in three phases of recovery post-transplant: Day 0-100 (early), Day 101-365 (intermediate), and Years 1-5 (late).
The above factors were all combined to calculate a score to compare the healthcare burden of umbilical cord blood, peripheral blood, and Bone Marrow Transplants.¹³

Important results from the Study

Number of visits: Patients who received Umbilical Cord Blood Transplant required fewer visits post-transplant. This number remained the lowest in continued years (one to five years) as well.
Procedures: Umbilical cord blood recipients had the lowest number of procedures in the intermediate and late stages. Whereas bone marrow patients needed the greatest number of procedures.
Medications: Patients who received peripheral blood stem cell transplant had the least amount of medication prescribed in the initial days (0-100) compared to bone marrow stem cells transplant, which had the highest amount of medication prescribed. Umbilical cord blood was somewhere in between the two. However, when compared during days 101-365, umbilical cord blood patients experienced a significant decrease in the number of medication prescriptions. Furthermore, in one to five years, umbilical cord blood retained the lowest medication count compared to peripheral blood stem cells.

In Conclusion

Now that you understand why cord blood can offer a safer, more effective option compared to bone marrow transplants, the choice is clear. With distinct advantages, cord blood is a trusted choice for securing your family’s future health. So, If you’re an expectant parent, you should definitely consider banking your baby’s cord blood. This will not only shield your baby but your entire family against the impact of many deadly diseases in the future.

If you have any questions or want to learn more, feel free to reach out to our expert at 18002665533.

We are here to help

Your family’s healthy future is now in your hands. Become a LifeCell member and avail numerous benefits such as pocket-friendly plans, financial assistance unlimited retrievals and double the protection for your baby’s previous stem cells. If you have any further questions, we would love to hear from you!
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Imagine yourself throwing stones across a lake. And each time you flip a stone, it touches the water and creates wide ripples in all directions, right? A similar effect occurs post chemotherapy (often called chemo). Apparently, when you complete the treatment, it might feel like you’ve overcome a huge challenge in your life. But, just like those ripples, chemotherapy has broader effects that aren’t talked about, particularly on sperm health and male fertility. Let’s start by understanding what male infertility is. What Is Male Infertility? Male infertility is a condition that stops a man from making his partner pregnant after a year of unprotected sex. Nearly 186 million people worldwide face fertility issues. This number includes 48 million couples. In India, male infertility causes 40–50% of couples to struggle with conceiving. The reason could be health conditions & treatments like cancer and chemotherapy, surgeries, or consuming medicines for a longer time. These conditions affect sperm health and create issues with sperm production, count, motility and morphology. Now let’s delve into how chemotherapy affects male fertility. But before we do, it’s important to understand the impact of different cancer treatments on fertility. Cancer Treatments & Male Fertility Cancer occurs when body cells grow, multiply and spread quickly without control. Cancer treatment involves chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. But are you aware how these methods work? Let us explain it to you! Radiotherapy : Radiation therapy targets areas near the abdomen, pelvis, or spine, thus significantly reducing sperm counts and testosterone levels. This drop in levels can lead to infertility in men. Orchidectomy: Orchidectomy is the surgery that involves the removal of testicles (one or both) as a way to treat testicular cancer. Since testicles involves in sperm production, removing this organ can impact a man’s ability to father children. Prostatectomy: Prostate removal (prostatectomy) is surgery for prostate cancer or problems. The prostate helps in semen production. Thus, removing it can affect a man’s fertility and sexual function. Chemotherapy: Let’s explore in detail how it affects fertility in men in the below section. How Chemotherapy Affects Fertility In Men? Chemotherapy treatments can have a severe impact on male fertility. Studies show that medications used during chemotherapy can decrease sperm count, lower testosterone levels and affect the sperm’s ability to fertilise an egg. However, the impact of chemo treatment on sperm development can either be temporary or permanent depending on some factors. These factors include the type of medication used, the dosage taken, and your current age at the time of treatment. But if different cancer treatments are combined with chemotherapy, the risk of infertility increases. This highlights the importance of understanding the effects of chemotherapy and preserving healthy sperm before undergoing cancer treatments. Having said that, let’s dive into fertility preservation techniques. Sperm Banking Options For men wanting to be dads or facing health challenges, preserving their healthy sperm before any serious treatments can be a good option. It keeps their dream of fatherhood alive, even after chemotherapy. Here’s what you can do: Opt For Sperm Banking Sperm banking is a method that involves the freezing of sperm for future use. Choose Testicular Shielding This method protects testicles with a safety covering from harmful radiation. Consider Testicular Sperm Extraction (TSE) The extraction method is for men who are unable to produce semen samples naturally. This involves collecting sperm through a laboratory process for freezing. Explore Testicular Tissue Freezing Tissue freezing is particularly for boys under 13, who are at higher risk of infertility. The process involves the extraction and freezing of sperm tissue. Note: Always consult a doctor before opting for any of these sperm banking options. They can guide you based on factors like age, type of cancer and procedures. Conclusion Fighting cancer can be challenging, but it doesn’t mean you have to pause your fatherhood dreams. Though chemotherapy can affect your fertility, you have options to safeguard your future family plans. One of these options is sperm banking. It’s a step that should be discussed with your doctor to make well-informed decisions. And choosing a reliable sperm bank is essential, too. Gain insights into your sperm health and become a dad when you are ready. Disclaimer: The information in this blog is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Article Source : This article was originally published on https://www.lifecell.in/blog/health-check/the-effects-of-chemotherapy-on-sperm-health-and-male-fertility