Breastmilk Donation From Women Experiencing Perinatal Loss: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis

Although women who experience perinatal loss can donate breastmilk to milk banks, psychological and psychosocial effects on them remain understudied. Understanding these impacts is crucial for delivering comprehensive, person-centered care throughout the donation process. This qualitative systematic review aims to fill this knowledge gap by synthesizing experiences from relevant qualitative studies. We conducted comprehensive searches of multiple databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CINAHL, CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, and SinoMed. The review covers qualitative empirical studies published from database inception through March 2024. A meta-synthetic methodology was employed to synthesize the included studies. Five synthesized findings were derived: (a) diverse motivations for donating breastmilk; (b) positive experiences in the process of donating breastmilk; (c) negative experiences in the process of donating breastmilk; (d) facilitators and barriers to breastmilk donation; (e) reconstructing meaning after perinatal loss. The results of this study emphasize that sustained attention should be paid to the experiences of breastmilk donation among women experiencing perinatal loss to guide healthcare professionals in providing more individualized bereavement support and breastmilk donation programs. Trial Registration: CRD42024508866.