Women selling breast milk with COVID-19 antibodies online: report

Some nursing mothers who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or recovered from the disease are selling their breast milk online, according to US News & World Report.

Several listings have popped up on websites that sell breast milk with antibodies in recent months amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the outlet.

A search for COVID-19 antibody breast milk on website Only the Breast yields more than 27 pages of results.

“I had COVID in October and get tested for antibodies regularly as I work in healthcare. My baby got COVID and was over it in one day due to my antibodies,” reads one listing on the site from a Chicago mom. “She continues to be protected by them as studies show that they are passed on through breast milk for as long as the mother has them.”

Another ad on Only The Breast advertises breast milk from a donor who has been vaccinated with Pfizer’s vaccine at $2.50 per ounce. 

“Provide your baby with safe antibodies!” it reads, according to the report. 

Some breast milk is being marketed as having COVID-19 antibodies that come from mothers with special dietary restrictions, such as vegan, paleo or gluten free diets.

In addition, several ads include statements about scientific findings on babies getting antibodies from their mothers through nursing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided guidelines to nursing mothers amid the pandemic, stating that mothers are unlikely to pass the disease onto their babies should they become infected. 

Less conclusive information exists on whether mothers can effectively give their children immunity through antibodies in breast milk.

The CDC notes that clinical trial testing for the vaccines authorized for emergency use in the U.S. did not include mothers who were breastfeeding. 

“Because the vaccines have not been studied on lactating people, there are no data available on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in lactating people, the effects of vaccination on the breastfed infant, the effects on milk production or excretion,” the CDC’s page on breastfeeding in conjunction with the vaccine states.

However, in a recent White House press briefing, Anthony Fauci noted that a new study from the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology indicated an immunity transfer between mother and infant. 

“So in other words, things look very good for the association between vaccination and protecting pregnant women from adverse outcomes from themselves and their fetus,” Fauci said.