Susan's Place Transgender Resources

im wondering what you guys think of "selling your body".
i know the usual donating blood and stuff, and im not talking about selling kidneys... but how about eggs and sperm and plasma, hair, etc.
for $5,000 im willing to donate my eggs, im only 18, but when i turn 21 i might consider it, if i havent started T by then
id also do clinical trials and to be paid around $3,000 by the government to get the flu for research and the antibodies for that year's flu shots? hell yes

how about you guys?

As for selling your eggs, first it is an invasive procedure possibly eating up some of the profits recovering. Also you are still young, you may find in later years that you want a child of your own so be cautious of future regrets.

For being a test subject, I would hope that the researchers are ethical and likely limit the number of tests you can participate in. I would think that the more tests you are involved in the greater the chance of permanent health issues once again eating up any money you might have made as a test subject.

As I have said elsewhere no one has the right to tell you what you can or can't do with your body but if you intend to proceed down this path please use caution, the ramifications can be terrible if things go wrong.

i mean this for people completely willing and aware. i have ab blood, less than 10% of the population, my blood can be donated (free) to other ab types, nothing else; but my plasma can go to all types, and thats about $300 a month
if i got pregnant and had an abortion, id probably sell or donate the fetus to research groups for stem cell research

companies will also offer above the thousands for permanent tattooing of your body for their URLS or logos, especially in visible spots, like the forehead; but im not willing to do that even though others can make $10,000+ for getting a tattoo

id probably also not donate bone marrow for $3,000 or so because of the pain.. maybe i would if it was over $10,000

im not into reproduction, i dont want that, and the eggs would just be wasted on me. rich people struggling to have a baby, id like to help them, for monetary gain. fertility drugs and invasive procedures arent that much of a problem to me for the right price and guarantees. and the younger the better. so 21 would be a good age, as its the minimum to enter into a legal contract (giving up genetic rights) and the prime age for reproduction.

i just want other's opinions and experiences or thoughts. what theyd be willing to do or anything. just asking.

I like the idea of donating everything else but donating eggs is just a no for me. The idea that I would have a child out there would just make me uncomfortable and even though I wouldn't have anything to do with the child it'll still be mine. Every time I'm out and see a baby I'd wonder if it was mine.

i guess im pretty unemotional and unattached to things like that since i myself am adopted
im living with 2 people and the woman has 2 kids of her own, and the man has a daughter of his own

so things like family, i hold no attachment to, i used to as a small kid but now, no.

im an organ donor and hope to get my blood donor card soon with my type on it so they know.

also, egg donors have to be chosen, i just want to apply when im old enough

I'm not morally opposed to such things, but it's definitely not something I would sign myself up for.  I had some severe issues with the female plumbing (still currently) inside me, which resulted in me having 20+ transvaginal ultrasounds over the course of 5 years, plus countless blood tests, physical exams, and admitted to the hospital twice.  Obviously, transitioning requires me to see a couple doctors and get frequent tests (and the annual exam continues until my cervix is gone!), and all of that is enough for me.  I am an organ donor, but while I am living, I want to stay away from any unnecessary testing.  I've already reached my quota :)

I would like to donate things as long as i'm alive and aware. hair, sperm, blood, eggs was also on my mind if I had bottom surgery. I am actually abit disapointed how I can neither be a sperm or blood dooner as I dont produce sperm and as its not legal for men who have sex with other men to donate blood where I live.

One thing to think about doing research is that if someone wants you to get the flu to develop vaccines, say, is the flu isn't what people think kind of like a bad cold. It's a serious illness, even for young people. Some percentage of people die or get very seriously ill and are hospitalized. I would proceed with great caution. READ everything they give to you carefully (no blind signing). And read more about the flu. I had a friend who did drug testing as part of a "healthy control" as well. It wasn't something she repeated.

Plasma is doable. Not a great living, but you'd get some money for it. Hair, I wasn't aware this was selling, but yeah this sounds fine. Bone marrow, no I agree VERY painful procedure where they go into the bone with a huge needle.

Donating eggs involves taking large quantities of female hormones at a time when you may really want testosterone instead.


--Jay

You can sell or donate hair to make wigs for cancer patients. I imagine you could for any wig.  The healthy length is something like 12 inches or more.

The value of mine, cut to shoulder length, is a whopping $250 USD.  Not worth it as a money making thing.

The other thing about bone marrow donation is that they don't just take your marrow on the off-chance that someone might need it someday, and your odds of having marrow they want (of being a match for someone in the database) are approximately the same as the odds of winning the daily lottery. The only advantage would be that unlike the lottery, it costs nothing to play.

Also, from what I've read, they don't pay out in cash, but in scholarships, mortgage payments and the like.

What happens to your eggs on T so that you aren't able to donate them?

I would definitely sell eggs, but I'm not sure if you can in Australia.

Quote from: lionheart on February 19, 2015, 06:07:13 PM
What happens to your eggs on T so that you aren't able to donate them?

Heavy doses of females hormones are used to harvest them. They don't just go in and cut them out.

is it really illegal for gay men to donate blood? equal rights? common knowledge? straight men have the same diseases as gay men and have the same chances of them, prevention is called safe sex and any orientation can do it or not

i dont mind the female hormones as i cant even afford a doctor's visit right now and my dad refuses to allow me to go to any doctor; but if im picked for egg donation, then it said doctor visits and all expenses are usually paid full by the recipients (the parents the eggs go to)
i honestly dont think i care too much to start T
i have ab blood so plasma, im definitely willing
like i said, its a hell no to the bone marrow

and for the non-cash-rewards things, yeah i know. i cant afford college in the slightest, my dad doesnt want me to go, and he makes too much money for government grants
i didnt really attend highschool, ive missed about 3 months in 9th grade with A, A, B, A on report cards.. 10th grade, i missed about 7 months, report card looking like A, D, D, F.. in 11th grade its easier to say when i went, which is about 3 months, report card was B, D, D, D.. and in 12th grade i went about once a week or once every two weeks from aug to december, and then maybe twice a month from jan to march, and from that to may i didnt go: i had to take tests online like 2 hours before everyone else walked the field to graduate and got above 90% on all of those, and was able to graduate
its not that i am dumb, i wanted to be a pathologist since forever, but family and trans issues got in the way, my parents were not supportive at all; so i couldnt get any sort of support for college or scholarship
but since donating does come with money and scholarships, im all for it; i may not become a doctor but i might want to do cosmetology, those schools always need more gay men <3


sorry for the rant

Illegal? NO. Red Cross simply won't do it thinking that the chance of aids or hepatitis is too high, that men with men means VD.

that doesnt count for transmen does it?
ive only had a few partners, like 2 men and...a few women...7 women? ....mh... im gay xD

I've thought of selling eggs before, I could get around $5,000-$8,000 for that. I started doing the application process, but its kind of a b**ch to do. They want to know everything about you and your family. Also, even if the donation group takes you on as a donor, the people selecting eggs then go and pick who's eggs they want. If they think you're too unintelligent, too ugly, too or not enough (insert race/ethnicity/skin color here), you may never get the chance to donate the eggs and get your money (it's strange they call it "donating" but to me, it's selling). Sure, it's invasive procedure, you're on a crap ton of hormones, and there are significant medical risks involved, it seems worth it if you really need some cash and you really evaluate the risks and fully know what you're getting into.

I ended up not going through with it, even though after the first round of the selection process the agency selected me to go through the next round, because if I did get selected, it would be too time consuming for me. To get the hormones, this place needs you to go into their office either once or twice a day, a few times a week. . . it takes a few months to complete the process. Plus, I then read some more horror stories of people who had significant medical complications from donating eggs and I am a big baby when it comes to vag-health gone wrong.

I have a rare blood type, but I don't believe you can sell your blood or marrow in the USA. (legally at least)

Another thing I'd sell if I still lived in Boston would be poop: http://www.boston.com/health/2014/10/15/poop-bank-massachusetts-will-pay-you-per-dump/FMMhBXMKyFNTRXKoThmnpM/story.html

you can "donate" plasma (red blood sells arent that needed from ab types i suppose and its illegal for red blood cell selling) and platelets
what that means, they give you a BIG gift, scholarships, prepaid cards (like a walmart debit card or something similar) and its "actual money" its not a crappy t shirt or indie cd (or god forbif justin beaver) with no value to it

you can "donate" a lot of these, organizations have gotten around the legality of it, they just wont give you cash, but theyll pay for your house, or car, or scholarships, etc

i have a 142 iq i think (its been years since i was tested) and i have blond hair and blue eyes and non freckling skin, no acne (no products) and hour glass figure with high metabolism. i guess as a girl thats good, but i overeat myself so i dont get that shape really, i never liked boys wanting me like that, so i put on weight and try hiding that figure

Quote from: jasperbeauclair on February 19, 2015, 09:13:50 PM
that doesnt count for transmen does it?
ive only had a few partners, like 2 men and...a few women...7 women? ....mh... im gay xD

The rule is for those who have sex with 'men who have sex with men' (MSM). They're assuming that men = cis men. The MSM demographic has the highest probability of contracting blood borne diseases like HIV. So that can include women and transgender people. So if you only have had sex with men who do not have sex with other cis men, you should be ok.

Quote from: jasperbeauclair on February 19, 2015, 09:13:50 PM
that doesnt count for transmen does it?
ive only had a few partners, like 2 men and...a few women...7 women? ....mh... im gay xD

Unfortunately, it does.

I asked my doctor if I can give blood on HRT and he said no.

That being said, I've yet to ask the blood bank, and it may be different in other countries.

My understanding is that TG on HRT cannot donate blood products in Australia, the logic has not been explained.


When thinking about donating and particularly selling blood, eggs, sperm etc the Laws tend to change from country to country and possible within different states in a country.

So do make sure of the legality and be fully informed on the potential health consequences.

Quote from: LordKAT on February 19, 2015, 06:18:26 PM
Heavy doses of females hormones are used to harvest them. They don't just go in and cut them out.

How does it work then? I'm sorry, I'm totally clueless, but $5000 is a lot of money and nobody told me this before I started T....

Quote from: Cindy on February 19, 2015, 11:01:06 PM
My understanding is that TG on HRT cannot donate blood products in Australia, the logic has not been explained.


When thinking about donating and particularly selling blood, eggs, sperm etc the Laws tend to change from country to country and possible within different states in a country.

So do make sure of the legality and be fully informed on the potential health consequences.

I wasn't excluded from donating blood because I'm Trans or on HRT. I was asked who my sexual partners was - a guy - and even though he's been tested, we live together and engaged, it means nothing. In the eyes of organizations like these, they lump us all together.

The laws sre diffrent from place to place and where I live its not legal. some people do it anyway, I mean you fill a paper and say you never had sex with men and its not like the anti-gay police would come and check if you had gay sex or not, but im just tired of lying and dealing with systems who dont accept me, so they can complain that they need blood untill they change there rules cause im not pretending to be someone im not. Being trans is a grayzone area but since many dont see a diffrence in being gay or trans it can also be problematic to get permission if you live in a place where its not legal.

I was glad for a moment  about getting paid to donate eggs which I assumed was the ovaries..but the last thing I need is more female hormones. It's not worth it for me.

Quote from: lionheart on February 20, 2015, 08:14:47 AM
How does it work then? I'm sorry, I'm totally clueless, but $5000 is a lot of money and nobody told me this before I started T....

Your body normally releases one egg per month that can possibly turn into a baby. They use hormones to make your body ripen  many eggs so they can be harvested.

I believe the money is to off set the cost of the medications used to ripen the eggs, not as a way to earn money. This is also why you get paid to 'donate' your eggs.

Quote from: LordKAT on February 20, 2015, 02:07:07 PM
Your body normally releases one egg per month that can possibly turn into a baby. They use hormones to make your body ripen  many eggs so they can be harvested.

I believe the money is to off set the cost of the medications used to ripen the eggs, not as a way to earn money. This is also why you get paid to 'donate' your eggs.

The medication used to boost the production of viable eggs is quite expensive on its own. It's gone down, but it was well over $300 for a weeks worth of treatment when I was working in pharma and that was the not as reliable stuff medication. The testing and actual harvesting (man that sounds so odd to say) also bolster up the price.

It can actually be an expensive thing to undergo depending on where you live.

Quote from: lionheart on February 20, 2015, 08:14:47 AM
How does it work then? I'm sorry, I'm totally clueless, but $5000 is a lot of money and nobody told me this before I started T....

Quote from: LordKAT on February 20, 2015, 02:07:07 PM
Your body normally releases one egg per month that can possibly turn into a baby. They use hormones to make your body ripen  many eggs so they can be harvested.

I believe the money is to off set the cost of the medications used to ripen the eggs, not as a way to earn money. This is also why you get paid to 'donate' your eggs.

Like LordKat said, the hormones make you produce a ton of eggs all at once (that's where some risks come on, because if way too much get formed, it can cause the ovary to have lots of complications. . . ). To take them out, they stick this little thing up you, and up to the ovary where the pull the eggs out.

At the donation banks, you don't pay for any of the hormones, so you're not being compensated for the costs of buying the hormones. The bank provides you with them at their cost. The money is for the inconvenience of traveling to and from the clinic, the actual procedure itself, p&s, etc.

I think it's fine personally. To each their own just know the risks of everything. I myself am donating eggs soon for many reasons but I was told 8,000 to 10,000 is what I wonder where you'd get the 3000 you mentioned.

Quote from: JHeron on February 20, 2015, 08:33:14 PM
I myself am donating eggs soon for many reasons but I was told 8,000 to 10,000 is what I wonder where you'd get the 3000 you mentioned.

When I looked into it before, I was told that sometimes state law can determine what maximum compensation can be offered for donating eggs. The agency I was looking into was in a few different states and they listed $3,000-$10,000 as the range, your actual amount depending on the state and other factors. Where I was, I could've gotten between $5,000-$8,000.

If it was legal in Australia I'd have my name down in a heart beat. Money might not grow on trees, but it's sprouting in my ovaries.

I'd guess the answer would be that IM T is associated with steroid abuse (not sure re: estradial though).
As for other countries:

In the US, I believe that you can, as some of the guys donate as a way around the problem of high red blood counts. As for selling plasma, would probably not be as much of an issue, but I don't know having never done it. Various states are not different here.

But Males having sex with males (MSM) (though as trans not sure that would count? I don't know how that works actually).

--Jay

Quote from: Cindy on February 19, 2015, 11:01:06 PM
My understanding is that TG on HRT cannot donate blood products in Australia, the logic has not been explained.


When thinking about donating and particularly selling blood, eggs, sperm etc the Laws tend to change from country to country and possible within different states in a country.

So do make sure of the legality and be fully informed on the potential health consequences.

Quote from: JayBut Males having sex with males (MSM) (though as trans not sure that would count? I don't know how that works actually).

According to the Advocate, the FDA considers all trans people to be gay men when it comes to donating blood.
http://www.advocate.com/health/2015/02/02/fda-everyone-transgender-gay-man

(Yes, I know that's bonkers, but that seems to be what it adds up to... )

Bone marrow donations through apheresis shouldn't be any more invasive than a standard blood donation. However, I'm not sure that for-profit centers use this method.

Giving blood is something that I really wanted to do. Bummin' . :(

In the U.S., I gave blood to my local blood bank with one hitch: I had to be coded as female because I hadn't had bottom surgery yet. I was assured that after the surgery, I would be coded as male. Furthermore, I represented myself as a man who HADN'T had sex with other men; all of my sexual exploits were pre-transition, and I was living as a woman at the time. I was told that such a representation would be accurate after bottom surgery as long as my sexual history did not change.

Other trans men in my city donate blood. Some are out and some are not. So I'm not convinced that the Advocate article is accurate.

Quote from: Cindy on February 19, 2015, 11:01:06 PM
My understanding is that TG on HRT cannot donate blood products in Australia, the logic has not been explained.

If this is the case, how is this not a violation of the Sex Discrimination Act?

Technically trans people are unable to donate blood anywhere. Many do regardless, marked down as members of their hormonal sex.

It's bad protocol to mark someone down as their assigned sex just for being pre-bottom surgery -- that has no effect on one's actual blood, whereas hormones make for most of the difference. The only people for whom donating blood would be actually dangerous are FTMs who have had biological children.

Quote from: reddon on February 22, 2015, 07:19:41 AM
The only people for whom donating blood would be actually dangerous are FTMs who have had biological children.

How?

Quote from: DriftingCrow on February 22, 2015, 07:25:22 AM
How?

Women who have been pregnant experience permanent changes in their body chemistry that also mean their blood is considered risky for transfusion, though it's still used for research purposes. (This is sometimes expanded to all women of childbearing age in order to be as safe as possible, which is why it's not necessarily listed on donation forms.) There is currently no knowledge on what this means for trans men who have been pregnant, because trans health is underresearched and extremely few trans men wish to get pregnant, but it's best to assume that trans men who have been pregnant should not donate blood, as it would force them to disclose.

Red cross says you may donate blood 6 weeks after giving birth. Having a child does not make a difference. You can even donate while on birth control.

Quote from: LordKAT on February 22, 2015, 05:28:03 PM
Red cross says you may donate blood 6 weeks after giving birth. Having a child does not make a difference. You can even donate while on birth control.

I didn't say women who have been pregnant can't donate blood. I said that their blood is considered unsafe to use in transfusions, so it's used for other reasons. As it would be impossible to legally disclose an FTM pregnancy and there's no knowledge of how T would interact with that, trans men who have been pregnant should not donate blood.

I think if that were true, we would have heard something about it by now. Supposedly hormones , gender, having a kid, make no difference.  If not for transfusion, why donate blood?