About Birth Tissue

Birth Tissue Donation

What is Birth Tissue?
Birth tissue protects and nourishes your baby while in the womb. The placenta and umbilical cord are typically discarded once your baby is born.

Who can I help?
Birth tissue has been found to have properties that help promote healing. Grafts made from birth tissue may help treat a variety of medical conditions such as ulcers, wounds, burns and more. They are often used in dental and ocular surgical procedures and can be used to reduce pain, scarring and inflammation.

Who can donate birth tissue?
Currently, mothers who are having a planned cesarean section are eligible to donate birth tissue.

Are there any risks in donating birth tissue?
No, there is no risk to you or your child. The decision to donate birth tissue will not affect the care you or your baby receives.

How can I donate?
Complete a consent form and medical/social questionnaire with a Community Tissue Services team member via phone on a recorded line. All of your information is kept strictly confidential and no identifying information is shared with anyone except when required by law. Allow blood to be drawn at the hospital before delivery for infectious disease testing.

If you have not been given the option to donate by your doctor’s office but would like to, please contact our Birth Tissue Team at 1-866-525-4206 or email us at BTDonations@communitytissue.org

What can I expect on delivery day?
Community Tissue Services works with the Labor and Delivery staff to accommodate for your donation. After your delivery, your birth tissue will be carefully collected, tested, and processed. Community Tissue Services is regulated by the FDA and American Association of Tissue Banks to ensure that the grafts are safe for transplant.

Participating Hospitals as of September 2022