Women’s opinions about human milk donation and human milk banking

Purpose: The aim of the study was to determine opinions of women about human milk donation and human milk banking. Methods: The study has a cross-sectional, descriptive design. The sample included 231 married women giving birth at least once in Turkey between January and April in 2015. Data were collected by using a 25-items questionnaire at face-to-face interviews. Results: Half of the women found human milk donation acceptable, and 58% of the women stated they wanted to donate their human milk if milk banks were launched. Human milk donation was found to be inappropriate by 45.9% of the women since it is against religious rules, by 23.6% of the women since it has a risk of infectious diseases. The mothers who accepted giving their milk to another woman’s baby and someone else’s milk to their own baby found milk donation appropriate. Conclusion: The women had a positive attitude towards human milk donation and milk banking. Transmission of infectious diseases and religious beliefs were found to be barriers.