A new study from the Ohio State University Center for Clinical and Translational Science argues that that the increasing number of women who are sharing their breast milk with others are taking risks they may not be aware of. Many women who are unable to breastfeed but still want to give their children breast milk are contributing to the unregulated industry.

Sarah Keim MA, MS, PhD, a principal investigator in the Center for Biobehavioral Health at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, said, "Our study found that friends and relatives and the media are playing a huge role in education and dialogue around breast milk sharing, but that healthcare practitioners are being left out. And that's concerning, because there are risks involved with feeding your baby breast milk from another woman -- friend or stranger."

Keim and her associates have run studies showing that most breast milk purchased through the Internet often carries contaminants such as cow's milk, chemicals, or disease-causing bacteria. There are non-profit milk banks, which screen donors carefully and attempt to purify the breast milk, but so little breast milk is donated, most of it is targeted for hospitalized premature babies. In addition, milk bank breast milk sells for $4 an ounce, so women look on the Internet for something cheaper.

Keim stated, "I've talked to so many women that end up with a freezer stocked with breast milk and they aren't sure what to do with it, and they think that donating is difficult. The milk banks actually make it very easy for women to donate by handling all expenses with the shipping and testing. It only takes a few ounces to feed a premature baby, and it makes a huge difference."

Breast milk sale sites show a range of prices, and feature short statements from the donating mothers as to what procedures they use for cleanliness.