Students' eggs and sperm can fetch a high price in the marketplace.
But the harvesting process is not as fast and easy as some might think.
Egg donors can make about $5,000 per donation, according to Reproductive Resolutions, a national company that provides information about egg donation.
Sperm donors can get about $500 per month, according to the Fairfax Cryobank, one of the largest sperm banks in the country.
Lee Caperton, owner of the Center for Reproductive Medicine of New Mexico, said the egg donation process at his facility takes a few weeks and that donors must take medication beforehand.
"The actual process of the stimulation, the part where you're taking medications other than the birth control, only lasts about 10 days," he said. "But the whole cycle, from the period to where we do egg retrieval, lasts a few weeks, because you have to be on the birth control for a few weeks."
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Sperm donors must also be dedicated. According to Fairfax Cryobank, sperm donors must undergo an interview and a screening and produce several samples before they are accepted. They are then asked to donate on a regular basis for six months.
Student Joe Ament said he wouldn't mind going through the process.
"It doesn't matter to me. I've got plenty of it to go around," he said. "I don't see why it's such a big deal. I'd do it, if I knew where to go."
While female students don't have to travel far to donate eggs, there are no sperm banks based in New Mexico.
Caperton said egg donors must also go through a vetting process.
"We do some physical screening and an ultrasound that tells us whether or not they would be good donors based upon the ultrasound pictures," he said. "In general, we use egg donors who are under the age of 32 and that don't have any significant medical history that would increase their chances of infertility. We obviously try to avoid people that have medical illnesses that might complicate pregnancy. We also avoid people who have genetic abnormalities that could be transmitted to the fetus."
Student Heather Totschek said she wants to keep her genes to herself and wouldn't consider donating.
"Personally, I find that's something of mine that I don't want to share with anyone else," she said. "I feel like that's my DNA, and I feel that that's something personal to me."
Totschek said selling eggs seems like a quick but immoral way to earn money.
"It kind of reminds me of selling your body," she said. "You're selling your body, selling a part of your DNA. You might as well be a stripper on the side of road."
Student Lyric Hammonds said she was considering donating but that her family was against the idea.
"I was thinking about doing it," she said, "but my mom said not to sell her grandchildren."
According to Reproductive Resolutions, there are additional complications in donating eggs. Women may get bruises due to frequently drawn blood, and the required medication can have side effects that leave donors sore or cause an allergic reaction. The retrieval of the eggs could be a discomfort but rarely leads to injuries, according to the company.
Caperton said complications at the Center for Reproductive Medicine of New Mexico are uncommon.
"Usually we don't have complications with egg donation," he said. "The one risk of doing egg donation that we worry about is a syndrome called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. It's usually a very mild syndrome that arises on its own, but it can be more significant. The vast majority of our egg donors don't have any complications at all."
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine's Encyclopedia, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome occurs when a woman's ovaries become swollen, causing fluid to leak into the belly and chest area. Severe symptoms of the syndrome include pain, significant weight gain - more than 10 pounds in five days - and shortness of breath.
