'Octomom' doctor expelled from fertility group
The "octomom"'s doctor has been expelled from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the main infertility professional organization, a spokesman for the group confirmed Friday.
Single mother Nadya Suleman, then 33, gave birth to eight babies — thought to be only the second set of octuplets born in the USA — nine weeks early, on Jan. 26. Suleman already had six children, all conceived via in vitro fertilization, in which eggs were taken from her ovaries and combined with donor sperm in a petri dish.
Suleman has said that her fertility doctor, Michael Kamrava of the West Coast IVF Clinic in Beverly Hills, transferred six embryos to her uterus for each of her pregnancies. Reportedly, she delivered eight babies because two embryos split into two pairs of identical twins.
Six embryos far exceeds the American Society for Reproductive Medicine's (ASRM) guidelines for women Suleman's age. The guidelines, based mainly on patient age and embryo quality, recommend transferring only one or two embryos in patients under age 35 to reduce the risk of multiple births. According to 2007 data posted online by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, an affiliate of the ASRM, Kamrava reported transferring an average of 4.1 embryos to patients under 35.
"We have a disciplinary committee that gathers information, we give people an opportunity to explain themselves, and then we take action if the committee thinks it's necessary," ASRM spokesman Sean Tipton said. "It's a lengthy process. We're very concerned with providing appropriate due process."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-10-18-octomom-doctor-fertility_N.htm