Financial Reasons
Still, 73 percent of women said altruism influenced their choice more than financial reasons, the survey showed.
“It is more than cutting your hair and even donating blood,” Shady Grove’s Williams said. “The process can take a few months. So if you don’t have that altruistic motivation, if you’re just doing it for money, you’re probably not going to get through the process.”
The average donor is about 27 years old, and 78 percent have a college degree or are pursuing one, Williams said. More than half of donor applications come through an online resource.
The Internet is probably responsible for much of the increased interest in cashing in on body parts, Becker said. Online search engines and exchanges make communications between “buyers and sellers of things like organs or hair much easier,” he said.