FAQs

Most hospitals do not publicly disclose what they do with a patient’s placenta after birth, since it is a personal medical decision. It is routinely examined by pathology to be sure it has been completely delivered and shows no abnormalities. The hospitals that have selected to work with Birth Tissue Recovery allow our licensed program and trained coordinators to work with patients who are interested in donating their placentas after they deliver their babies.

The placenta is rich in nutrients and it has unique healing properties after your baby is delivered. The placenta is most often used to heal traumatic wounds and diabetic ulcers. Medical research and doctors use the placenta to help patients with eye injuries and diseases, for spinal and dental procedures and for sports injuries. So donating your placenta after birth is a genuinely wonderful gift a woman can give forward to other humans.

Delivery of the placenta is also known as the third stage of labor. Delivery of the entire placenta is vital to a woman’s health after giving birth. If you are not donating your placenta to an agency like Birth Tissue Recovery, most hospitals will discard the birth tissue. It is good advice to always ask your doctors and nurses what will happen to your placenta and birth tissue after your baby is born.

A mother qualifies to donate her placenta if she does not have any diseases that could be passed on to a patient who receives transplant products made from the birth tissues.

Step 1: Consent Form. You will be asked to read and understand a consent to donate form.

Step 2: Medical History. You will be asked to complete a medical and social history questionnaire. Donating your placenta to medical research is a wonderful and generous act and all tissue donation women are carefully screened.

Step 3: Blood Drawn. You will allow a small amount of blood to be drawn from you and tested. In most cases, blood is drawn at the same time as the hospital draw while you’re in labor.

Step 4: Review Chart. We will ask your permission for us to review, make copies, and retain portions of your medical record.

A Birth Tissue Recovery technician staff member provides donation information to potential donors, answers questions, documents the process, preserves the tissue, and arranges for the hospital to draw a sample of the donor’s blood. The technician is in the hospital to ensure that the nursing and medical staffs’ workflow is not interrupted and enhances the patient’s experience

Any Women aged 18 years or older, whose gestation is 34 weeks or greater, and who meets donor screening eligibility requirements, can be a donor mother and donate her placenta and birth tissue.

A Birth Tissue Recovery technician will ask for access to your medical records and a blood sample. The review of the medical records and blood, performed by qualified and experienced BTR staff member, helps ensure the tissue is safe for use.

The donation process poses no risk to either you or your baby. The birth tissue will not be recovered until after the baby has been safely delivered.

BTR does not collect umbilical cord blood. However, if you make separate arrangements for cord blood donation be aware that placenta donation will not interfere with cord blood donation.

In most countries it is illegal to sell human organs, therefore mothers cannot sell their placenta and umbilical cord. Birth Tissue Recovery will provide the tissue to commercial entities for the manufacture of medical products. If BTR provides tissue to outside centers, then it will be paid for its service.

Hospitals treat placentas as medical waste or biohazard material. The newborn placenta is placed in a biohazard bag for storage. Some hospitals keep the placenta for a period of time in case the need arises to send it to pathology for further analysis.

By donating your placenta and umbilical cord, you give the Gift of Healing. The amnion can be used to promote healing after surgery and is also used in combination with skin grafts for burn victims.

Yes, a member of our BTR staff will obtain a blood specimen to help ensure the safety of tissue for use.

No. Birth tissue and placenta are normally discarded after delivery. There will be no cost to you for any aspect of the donation. We will not pay you for the birth tissue donation. Participation is voluntary. Choosing not to participate will not affect your medical care in any way.

A mother qualifies to donate her placenta if she does not have any disease that could be passed on to a patient who receives transplant products made from her birth tissues. BTR staff will draw blood and check medical records to ensure that the placenta can be donated.

No. The donation process requires no additional surgical procedure for you. The placenta is collected after the birth of your child.

Hospitals treat placentas as medical waste or biohazard material. The newborn placenta is placed in a biohazard bag for storage. Some hospitals keep the placenta for a period of time in case the need arises to send it to pathology for further analysis.

Yes, birth tissue includes the placenta, umbilical cord, and amniotic fluid. All of these tissues can be donated after birth and they helped to nourish your baby while you were pregnant and are normally discarded after birth. There is no cost to you to donate and your participation in the birth tissue donation program is voluntary.

BTR staff provides placenta donation information to potential donors, answer questions, document the process, preserve tissue, and arrange for the hospital to draw a sample of the donor’s blood. The coordinator is in the hospital to ensure that the nursing and medical staff’s workflow is not interrupted and to enhance the patient’s experience.

Women are provided information that allows them to make the decision to donate, or not to donate. If the decision is yes, then the BTR donation coordinator will conduct a donor screening interview, arrange to have a blood sample drawn, and document the process. After the baby’s birth, the placenta and birth tissue is then delivered. It is made available to the BTR coordinator who will take steps to preserve and maintain the tissue’s viability. Tissue is then transported to the BTR facility for additional preservation procedures before it is transported to the processing center. The donor’s relevant medical records will be obtained and along with the screening interview responses and blood testing results used to assess the suitability of tissue for use.

BTR implements its placenta donation program at hospitals whose leadership has recognized the need for and benefits that result from the altruistic act of donation and the availability of birth tissues that subsequently help improve the quality of life of others. BTR and hospitals cooperate with each other by providing information to women so an informed voluntary decision to donate, or not to donate, birth tissue and placenta can be made.

Birth tissue includes the placenta, umbilical cord, and amniotic fluid.

Information about placenta donation will be presented to you by a BTR placenta donation coordinator. The coordinator will assess your willingness to donate your placenta. If you feel like you want to participate in donating your placenta, then you will be asked to read and sign a consent form and provide answers to a confidential donor risk assessment questionnaire. Information obtained from the questionnaire will help ensure the tissue is safe for use.

Donated birth tissue and placenta is provided to companies that use the tissue to create wound care products to treat burns, ocular surface diseases, diabetic ulcers, repair soft tissue, reduce post-operative scarring, and other types of wound repairs.

Women aged 18 years or older, whose gestation is 34 weeks or greater, and who meet placenta and birth tissue donor screening eligibility requirements.