62% of Mothers Oppose Establishing Milk Banks, Citing Milk Kinship

A recent Saudi study found that 62.3% of participating mothers opposed establishing human milk banks, while only 37.7% supported the idea. The study identified milk kinship as the most influential factor shaping attitudes toward such banks.

The research, conducted by Taibah University in Medina, included 835 Saudi mothers from different parts of the kingdom. Researchers collected the data between April and July 2024, with a response rate of 93.8%. The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Public Health on September 3, 2026.

Most participants also expressed reservations about using or donating banked milk. Some 74.01% said they would not give their premature babies milk from a bank if their own supply proved insufficient, while 25.99% said they would do so. Likewise, 70.10% rejected donating surplus breast milk to banks, compared with 29.90% who were willing to donate. In addition, 79.16% said they preferred infant formula to donated breast milk.

Those views coexisted with strong recognition of breastfeeding’s benefits. A total of 94.13% of participants considered breast milk nutritionally superior to formula, while 95.22% said it strengthens a child’s immunity and reduces infections. Opposition to milk banks reached 91.2% among women who considered them impermissible because of milk kinship, while support reached 86.7% among those who considered them permissible.