Medical Reports

WSVN -- The words 'money' and 'college students' don't usually go together -- unless they're trying to get their hands on some.

In a quest for cash, they usually wait tables.

Or sell their text books.

But there's another business that's 'booming' off-campus.

Lauren Solomon: "I wanted to donate my eggs because you know college is expensive."

Cash-strapped co-eds like Lauren Solomon are making money by donating their eggs -- that's right -- their eggs -- to infertility clinics.

Lauren Solomon: "You get to help someone and you get to help yourself at the same time."

Students 18 to 32 years old are prime donors because that's when women are most fertile and their eggs are healthiest.

It also makes them prime targets for clinics because they're usually in need of money.

Lauren Solomon: "I donated three times, and after that I got 14 thousand dollars.  That is a lot of money for a college student."

Dr. David Hoffman: "Right now in Florida it's about 5 thousand dollars to 7 thousand, but you go to New York or L.A. you're going to see those rates rise because it's supply and demand."

A greater demand because more and more women are putting off having a family until later in life.

But older donors, like 31-year-old Amy Butterworth, warn younger donors it can't be all about the money.

Amy: "I think if all you can see are dollar signs, I think it is very dangerous potential psychological repercussions later down the road."

And physically demanding.

Amy: "I think you need to be sure you work with a facility, who cares about you as a person, that you're not just seen as a commodity."

Dr. Maria Bustillo: "What we really pay for is time and trouble and it does take about 6 weeks of their lives."

Diana Diaz: "It takes so long because donors must undergo rigorous medical testing. Then if they're selected, they must give themselves hormone-boosting shots for about a month to help produce enough eggs."

Lauren Solomon: "Physically it's hard on your body.  You're giving yourself hormones, you know. Your body is making you think that you're pregnant."

Donors must also go through a minor surgery for the eggs to be retrieved.

Plus there are risks from all the fertilty drugs, including a condition called Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome.

Although rare, it can cause fluid in the abdomen and lungs, blood clots and kidney problems.

And right now doctors don't know what long-term affects these procedures have on a donor's 'future fertility'.

Dr. David Hoffman: "What if you could never have a kid, and you have kids out there from egg donation, how are you going to feel about that? That's what I tell my patients."

So far, Lauren feels it's all been worth it.

She's been able to pay for her tuition, her computer, and this digital camera.

But she admits she does often wonder about the children she helped create by donating for dollars.

Lauren Solomon: "I guess just curiosity and see how they've grown up...and if they look like me."