With six more books to buy, the financial aid check nine days late, and the rent due tomorrow- some cash is needed quick.

"Hiring friendly people" reads a want ad for a nearby burger joint, "Stuff envelopes for BIG MONEY" says another.

Tucked between these oh-so-tempting offers for some fast money, reads one with more promise, "Donor eggs needed ... $1500-$2000" and "Men, donate sperm ... $50 a sample."

Students drawn to this advertisement may find this job involves more than expected.

An undetermined waiting period, hormone injections, needles, doctor's exams and tests are just few of the requirements before hitting the small jackpot.

University Medical Center houses the busiest infertility clinic in the Southwest, helping more than 400 infertile couples last year, says Dr. Timothy Gelety, director of reproductive endocrinology and infertility.

Currently there are 12 active sperm donors and a list of about 30 potential egg donors at UMC. All donors are from Tucson and the clinic draws mostly from the university community, Gelety says.

"We're happy to have the university to draw on for samples," says Gelety. He says the university environment attracts better-educated people to donate.

To recruit donors into their program, the center places classified advertisements in the Arizona Daily Wildcat, the doctors say. Once accepted, men are paid $50 and women $500 at for their contribution.

UMC pays less than most clinics because "we do not want to entice people to donate. We're not interested in those who are going to do it for the money," says Gelety.

He adds that if a candidate seems genuinely interested, they are an "attractive" possibility.

Although motivation for many donors is the money, many say they are close to people who are infertile, says David Karabinus, research assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology.

"The payment is to compensate them for their time," Gelety says. "Couples are very appreciative and happy because they can have a child, but the UMC is not out to make money."

In 1995, UMC performed 250 cycles of assisted reproduction, Gelety says. "Cycle" refers to the process of implanting a fertilized egg into a woman's womb, which corresponds with her menstrual cycle.

Potential donors must interview with directors and specialists, who determine their motives for donating.

"Our goal is to provide the highest quality gametes we possibly can," says Karabinus.

Egg and sperm donor candidates must complete a thorough screening, including psychological, medical, HIV and sexually transmitted disease tests before admission into the donor program, Gelety says.

Both men and women donors must fill out a questionnaire of his or her medical history and a family history of genetic diseases. The questionnaire also records the candidates' physical characteristics, hobbies and ethnic background.

Admitted donors, male or female, then become simply a number.

A couple interested in using donated eggs or sperm will select a donor according to the list of characteristics given, Gelety says.

Couples may choose donor eggs or sperm because of problems, including non-functioning ovaries, known hereditary diseases in other offspring, low sperm count or vasectomies.

In most cases, the fertile partner contributes eggs or sperm to be used with the donor's.

Once selected, a donor is contacted and begins the donation process, Gelety says.

To protect the anonymity of the donors and recipients, patients are asked not to discuss the reasons for their visit with others in the waiting room, says Linda Shelton, senior outreach counselor for obstetrics and gynecology.

Sperm Donors

Men interested in donating sperm must complete a three-step screening and evaluation process before admission into the donor program, Karabinus says.

The first visit involves a "test freeze" where doctor freezes and defrosts the sample once to test its durability, Karabinus says.

If the sperm analysis results show promise in the test freeze, the candidate will then undergo the interview process.

The third step of the screening process tests for sexually transmitted diseases and the HIV virus, Karabinus says.

Once in the donor program, beginners to the program donate once a week. Veteran donors come into the clinic every other week, Karabinus says.

The American Society of Reproductive Medicine sets guidelines for clinics, such as UMC's, to follow. For example, "fresh sperm" cannot fertilize an egg. After the initial STD and HIV screening, the sperm samples are quarantined and frozen for six months. Before use, the sample is tested again. This protects the recipient from disease.

In addition, policy states that donors stay in the program until 10 pregnancies result from their sperm, Karabinus says. Ten progeny will not impact the gene pool too significantly, he says.

Men can donate until the age of 40 years, Karabinus says.

Egg Donors

Once a couple selects an egg donor, then the process begins for the woman donor.

A gynecological examination is given to the donor a week before her menstruation period, Gelety says.

When the woman has been approved for donation, the process for donation begins on the first day of the menstrual period, Gelety says.

The process includes the injection of two naturally occurring hormones from the pituitary gland that stimulate ovulation, Gelety says.

The medications are given eight and nine times during the process to stimulate the 20 to 30 eggs that a woman produces during menstruation, Gelety says.

"If a woman was to menstruate between the ages of 12 and 52, which is the normal menstruation period, then she would produce 480 eggs over her lifetime," Gelety says.

In regular menstruation, the ovary produces one egg to be fertilized. The rest of the potential eggs "die off" two weeks later, Gelety says. The hormones do not stimulate the production of more eggs, but simply make use of the 20 to 30 eggs produced.

Gelety says the side effects of the hormones are similar to those in the "early stages of pregnancy." This includes queasiness, vaginal secretion, breast tenderness and nausea.

"This is short lived," Gelety says. After the eggs are removed, the woman is back to her normal self two weeks later, he says.

The donor is warned they are extremely fertile during this period, and is advised to abstain from sexual activity, Gelety says.

When the donor's two-week period ends, the eggs are extracted through a five- to 10-minute "office procedure," and mild sedation is used on the donor, Gelety says.

Shelton says that the entire process takes about 45 minutes, with the donor resting in the hospital for a few hours after the procedure.

A woman is advised against donating more than three times, Shelton says. In addition, donors must be no more than 32 years old because the tendency for abnormalities in the eggs increase as the woman becomes older.

The process is lengthy, especially for women, and only certain people can wholeheartedly commit to the program. Once donated, the egg or sperm does not legally belong to the donor, even though it carries her or his genetic material.

Questions still remain about the post-donation process. Explore the ethical, legal, and religious considerations involving egg and sperm donation in Wednesday's edition of the Wildcat.