Are you interested in donating your birth tissue, but not sure how or if you are eligible?
Let's walk through our birth tissue donation requirements…
Birth tissue is the donation of the placenta and umbilical cord following the cesarean birth of your newborn baby. This generous gift can be used for transplant, aiding the healing process for recipients receiving the tissue. This process is safe, painless, simple, and free.
Basic Requirements for Birth Tissue Donors…
The minimum age is 18 years old for any female anticipating a cesarean section.
Minimum gestation at the time of delivery must be greater or equal to 32 weeks.
Cesarean section surgery that takes place at any of the following hospitals: - Oishei Children’s Hospital - Mercy Hospital of Buffalo - Sisters of Charity Hospital - Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital - Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center
Completion of a Donor Risk Assessment Interview. This is a brief medical and social history questionnaire reviewing your health to ensure safety and quality of the tissue being donated. This questionnaire is a 20-minute phone call/or in-person evaluation with our birth tissue coordinator. Once completed a review of the donation process is outlined in ConnectLife's Informed Consent.
Donor Risk Assessment Interview Reviews Medical and Social Histories Include:
We will go over certain medical, social, and travel histories can prevent you from donation. Conditions and their duration can affect the tissue being donated. While completing this questionnaire, we review cancer, pregnancy related complications, communicable diseases, and a variety of infectious diseases.
We will evaluate and review your travel history. Travel within the United States and Canada is acceptable. However, some travel destinations may affect eligibility due to high risk for Malaria, West Nile virus, Ebola virus, and/or Zika virus. - Stayed in Europe for greater than five years between 1980-present. - Stayed in United Kingdom for greater than three months between 1980-1996. - Stayed in a military base in Northern Europe greater than six months between 1980-1990 or stayed in a military base in Europe greater than six months between 1980-1996.
If you are interest in learning more about birth tissue donation or have questions, please reach out to our Birth Tissue Coordinator: Rachele Anello.
716-529-4385 or ranello@connectlife.org.
