As people scramble to pay their grocery and utility bills, many have resorted to unconventional measures.
Seeking quick cash in a worsening economy, potential sellers are turning to a variety of body products - sperm, eggs, blood plasma, and even human hair.
Industry officials say people hope to trade spare body fluids, tissues and other parts for payments that can range from $20 to $50 a pop for blood plasma to $60 to $100 for a sperm donation, $200 for locks of hair and up to $7,000 for a fertile egg.
The would-be sellers - including those in the Fargo-Moorhead area - are filling waiting rooms and flooding agencies with inquiries.
For college students looking to make an extra paycheck, the tax-free money - loaded onto a debit card - is incentive enough to donate their plasma.
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It is for Kelly Brown, a Minnesota State University Moorhead student who is looking to supplement her income.
Brown said quitting a full-time job in January while attending school full time seemed like a smart decision, and the few hours in a donation chair will be an easy way to thicken her pocketbook.
"It'll all be going to gas and groceries," she said. "I'm planning on using my debit card for that specifically."
During the economic crunch, more people are donating plasma to earn up to $200 to $300 a month.
Two plasma centers - International BioResources and BioLife Plasma Center - were recently built in south Moorhead to accommodate an increase in appointments. There has also been a rise in interested donors at the BioLife Plasma Center in Fargo.
Donors make appointments for up to two donations in a seven-day period. The BioLife Center in Fargo pays $20 for the first donation and $45 for the second within the seven-day window, said Laura Grossman, senior communications associate at Baxter BioLife Plasma Centers.
International BioResources pays similar donation fees. IBR officials declined to comment for this story.
David DuShane has donated plasma twice a week for nine years.
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He welcomes the growing number of donors, which Grossman says is at about 3,000 donors a week.
"You're among friends. I always laugh and enjoy myself," DuShane said. "What will really surprise me is I will be out in the community, and be recognized as a plasma donor.
"A couple vets came up to me during the Veterans Day Parade and struck up a conversation with me."
DuShane said a certain camaraderie develops among donors.
"We all get on schedules, which usually keeps us in contact with the same group of people," he said.
Nationally, the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association reports that 15 million people donated plasma in 2007 at 349 centers, compared to 12.5 million people at 315 centers in 2006.
In 2005, 10 million people donated at 299 centers in the United States.
Figures are not available for 2008.
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For DuShane, donating plasma is about giving back more than getting the cash.
"In the long run, I do enjoy giving back to the community," DuShane said. "I know how valuable plasma is in the world."
Plasma is manufactured into life-saving therapies that treat patients with bleeding disorders, immune system deficiencies, genetic lung disorders, burns, shock, trauma, major surgery, pediatric HIV, hepatitis, and severe liver conditions.
Recovered plasma is collected through a whole blood donation, which is separated into its cellular components - red blood cells and platelets - to be used for different medical and therapeutic purposes.
Plasma makes up the liquid portion of the blood in which the other cells and rich proteins are suspended. It is roughly 55 percent of a human's total blood volume. It is a clear, straw-colored liquid that is 90 percent water.
There are hundreds of proteins in human plasma. The plasma protein therapeutics industry separates several of them, which are used to make a range of life-saving medicines.
"We've seen a steady increase over the past few years as people have more awareness of what their donations contribute to, like life saving therapies," Grossman said. "It's very helpful for everyone involved."
