Simply stated, amniotic fluid may help protect your child’s future health. That’s because amniotic fluid is one of the richest, natural sources of stem cells.

Amniotic fluid is the nourishing and protective liquid that surrounds your baby during pregnancy. Inside this fluid are stem cells (known as mesenchymal stem cells) that, if collected and stored, may help protect your child’s health throughout his or her lifetime. Research shows that these cells can be potentially used to help treat future common injuries such as repairing cartilage for the knee, healing wounds or even grow a heart valve.

Preserving and storing amniotic fluid from your pregnancy could potentially offer your child an opportunity to benefit from advances in medical treatments.

References

Sessarego N., et. al., Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells from amniotic fluid: solid perspectives for clinical application. Haematologica, 2008, 93(3):339-346.; Steigman S.A., Preclinical regulatory validation of a 3-stage amniotic mesenchymal stem cell manufacturing protocol. Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 2008, 43(6):1164-1169.; Caplan A.J., Why are MSCs therapeutic? New data: new insight. Journal of Pathology, 2009, 217(2):318-324.; De Coppi P., et al., Isolation of amniotic stem cell lines with potential for therapy. Nature Biotechnology, 2007, 25 (1):100-106.; Canazi M., et al., Stem cells derived from amniotic fluid: new potentials in regenerative medicine. Reproductive Biomedicine Online, 2009, 18 (Suppl 1):17-27.; Siegel N., et al., Human amniotic fluid stem cells: a new perspective. Amino Acids, 2008, 35 (2):291-293.; Centeno, C.J., et al., Increased knee cartilage volume in degenerative joint disease using percutaneously implanted, autologous mesenchymal stem cells. Pain Physician, 2008; 11 (3):343-353.; Zellner J., et al., Role of mesenchymal stem cells in tissue engineering of meniscus. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A, 2010, 94(4):1150-1161.; Yoon B.S., et al., Secretory profiles and wound healing effects of human amniotic fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Stem Cells and Development, 2010, 19(6):887-902.; Klein J.D., et al., Amniotic mesenchymal stem cells enhance normal fetal wound healing, Stem Cells and Development, 2010 Dec 13. [Epub ahead of print]; Schmidt D., et al., Cryopreserved amniotic fluid-derived cells: a lifelong autologous fetal stem cell source for heart valve tissue engineering. Journal of Heart Valve Disease, 2008, 17(4):446-455.

Disclaimer:

Only your healthcare provider can suggest whether you should perform the amniocentesis procedure for prenatal diagnosis during your pregnancy. Although there is no guarantee that the FDA will approve any potential future medical applications and banking of amniotic fluid does not guarantee that these cells will be applicable to a particular medical condition, many clinical trials are on-going worldwide that may result in human therapies. Preserving amniotic fluid stem cells offers great hope for the future.