How Much is Your Body Worth?

More About Being a Surrogate Mother

Do You Meet the Requirements? Surrogate mothers usually fall between the ages of 21 and 40 and are non-smokers who ovulate normally, have a healthy BMI, and have already given birth to one or two children, according to the Center for Surrogate Parenting Inc. But be warned: if you're over 34 you may get overlooked.

Do You Have the Time? Once you have filled out the necessary applications, submitted photographs and signed consent documents, you may be required to attend an interview. The process of selection by a family is very subjective, according to the National Exchange for Egg Donation and Surrogacy, so once you have been approved to become a surrogate mother, you may not be chosen by a family for weeks or even months. Then, there's the whole 9 months of pregnancy too…

Are You Emotionally Prepared? Although some women may think they are simply loaning their bodies to families in need, being a surrogate mother can be an emotionally trying experience. To prevent any turmoil after the baby is born, most families write up a legal contract with a lawyer detailing the terms of the pregnancy before beginning the process. Potential surrogate mothers are also given several psychological screenings to verify that they are mentally prepared for the commitment they are about to make.

More About Donating Bone Marrow

Do You Meet the Requirements? Applicants between the ages of 18 and 60 may be eligible to join the National Marrow Donor Program's (NMDP) registry.

Can You Pay up Front? You might be asked to cover the costs of your tissue typing (a test to see what tissue type you are so you can find the appropriate match recipient), about $52 on average, according to the NMDP. A sponsor may cover all or part of these costs.

Do You Have the Time? Once you've applied to be on the registry and done the initial tissue typing and health screening, your name will be added to the registry. When a match is found, generally a patient who is living with leukemia or lymphoma, you will go through additional screenings and informational sessions, followed by surgery and drug treatment, which takes about a week.

Side effects to the treatment can include some pain, bruising and stiffness during the first week after donation, says the NMDP. You may also feel sluggish, run a mild fever, have clear or pink fluid drainage or develop small hard lumps around the area where the marrow was collected, which may take a few weeks to dissolve, according to the NMDP.

More About Donating Sperm

Do You Meet the Requirements? The American Society of Reproductive Medicine recommends that sperm donors be between the ages of 18-40 to minimize any effects of aging. You will be given a medical questionnaire of your personal and familial medical history to determine if you have or are at risk for disease including HIV, hepatitis B and other sexually transmitted diseases. Some banks require their applicants to have only had female sexual partners, have higher degrees and be of a certain height. If a potential donor passes the pre-screening he will be invited provide a semen sample.

Do You Have the Stamina? Depending on how competitive the sperm bank is, the entire screening process can take up to six-eight weeks to complete, with no compensation until you're accepted. Many sperm banks require more than one sample and follow up medical tests before making a decision. Photographs, audio recordings and interviews are often a part of the process -- to evaluate a candidate's character. Most sperm banks like the Midwest Sperm Bank and the California Cryo Bank accept less than five percent of candidates. Plus, most donation centers require a minimum number of sperm emissions per week and/or per year.

More About Medical Testing

Do You Meet the Requirements? Each test has different requirements participants must meet, depending on the nature of the research. For example, a Rheumatoid Arthritis Study for Bristol-Myers Squibb Clinical Pharmacology Unit requires participants to be between the ages of 18 and 45, unable to bear children and have a BMI of 18-30. They also cannot have any major history of nail fungus. The requirements for participating in psychological studies are equally diverse and specialized. A study on 'Break Up and the Self' at Northwestern University requires participants to be at least 18 years old and have experienced a break up within the past two weeks.

Do You Have the Time? Certain tests can require lengthy medical screenings that could potentially interrupt your daily routine. The Rheumatoid Arthritis study requires three two-three hour screening visits over the period of two and a half weeks. Others only require small portions of your time, like the 'Break Up and the Self' study which is composed of four sessions that last 45 minutes each.

Are You Willing to Take the Risk? Although many medical tests pay well, (like the Rheumatoid Arthritis study, which offers $4950 in compensation), they could involve taking serious health risks -- always read the fine print on the waivers to see if you're really prepared for any possible side effects.

More About Donating Hair

Do You Meet the Requirements? It's best for hair to be 10 inches or longer and not chemically treated. Donors should be healthy non-smokers who do not wash their hair more than once every few days to retain natural oils.

Do You Have the Time? It takes one to two hours to have hair professionally cut, post "for sale" ad online, package hair and send to buyer.

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