How to donate?
You’re ready! You made the decision to donate umbilical cord blood. Now here's what to expect:
First of all, thank you!
By generously agreeing to donate your cord blood, you’re delivering hope to someone - and their family - who have been eagerly awaiting a stem cell transplant.
Step 1: Registration
Make sure that your childbirth is planned in one of our partner hospital, which are :
- Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé de Laval,
- CHU Sainte-Justine,
- CUSM (Glen site),
- Centre hospitalier de St. Mary,
- Jewish General Hospital,
- Hôpital de Lasalle.
To register, complete our online form. Please read the Consent to Donate Cord Blood carefully to be well informed. If you have any concerns or questions, do not hesitate to contact us directly by email at cordblood@hema-quebec.qc.ca or by phone at 1-800-565-6635.
Step 2: Medical questionnaire
A member of the Héma-Québec staff will contact you between the 28th and 36th week of your pregnancy, in order to complete a questionnaire. The process takes approximately 15 minutes and is intended to ensure the safety of the person who will receive your cord blood.
Step 3: Baby birth and donation
The long awaited day! Your baby is nestled in your arms, and everyone is doing well. Once the umbilical cord is cut, the blood left in the cord is carefully collected by your delivery doctor. It takes only 3 to 5 minutes, and to the surprise of most parents they were barely aware of the process at all.
Step 4: Donation qualification
Test are conducted by the Héma-Québec Public Cord Blood Bank to qualify the cord blood. If the blood satisfies the standard:
- It will be frozen until it is used.
- In the days following your donation, a representative of Héma-Québec will contact you to review the questionnaire and take blood samples.
Should the cord blood not qualify:
- It can be used for research, if you consented when you registered.