Octuplet Doc Has Another Patient Pregnant With Quadruplets

The doctor who helped Nadya Suleman get pregnant with octuplets has implanted at least 7 embryos in another patient. According to the LA Times, a woman in her late 40s underwent in vitro fertilization at the octuplet doctor, Dr. Michael Kamrava's West Coast IVF clinic.

The woman is reported to be 5 months pregnant and is hospitalized. Furthermore, the woman does not have insurance and was transferred to a county hospital where she will remain until the births. That could be two or three months and could run into hundreds of thousands of dollars that taxpayers will end up paying.

This new case has fueled the controversy over the ethical standards of Kamrava's practice and whether the fertility industry needs more regulation.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine has guidelines limiting the number of embryos that can be transferred depending on the woman's age and other circumstances. The guidelines calll for the allowance of 2 embyos to be implanted, and in some cases 3 - but no more.

Since the American taxpayers will end up footing the bill for the medical treatment of the mother and infants, the American public has a right to know what the heck the medical establishment is going to do to prevent this in the future. It is estimated that the costs to raise these children throughout their lifetimes could end up in the millions.

It's interesting to note that Dr. Kamrava's latest successes come at the most inopportune time. Before the birth of Nadya Suleman's octuplets, his success rate of live birth in women under 35 was only ten percent.

Maybe he finally got the knack of it!

Octuplet Doc Lead "Infertility Clinic"

Now that the fertility doctor responsible for implanting six embryos in Nadya Suleman has been identified, an investigation into his track record in successfully pregnancies has astounded even the experts. It turns out that Dr. Kamrava's clinic, West Coast IVF, was way below the national average in the percentage of live births as a result of in vitro fertilization.

The medical community and the media continue to follow the business and science issues surrounding the birth of the Suleman octuplets. It turns out that many of these clinics, including Dr. Kamrava's practice in Beverly Hills, are part of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART). Members report clinical data on success rates. And while this data can be gamed, say by turning away patients who are less likely to get pregnant, overall the reports that SART publishes can be useful for comparison.

According to SART's national survey, 35% of in vitro fertilizations result in pregnancies. Now compare Kamrava's results with the industry average. According to SART's national survey, 35% of implantations result in pregnancies. Nationwide, for women under 35, 45% of in vitro treatments result in live births. Kamrava's rate was 10%. And he was unable to help any of his patients over 35. A case could be made that Dr. Kamrava treats only the most difficult cases but, if you look, for example, at Cornell's fertility clinic, which attracts the most difficult patients from all over the world, its success rate is similar to the national average.

Because of the cost of each implantation and the likelihood that one or more embryo will not survive, doctors typically implant three fertilized eggs into a woman's womb to up the chances of a viable birth. Some believe that Suleman's fertility doctor, Michael Kamrava, implanted more than that, violating professional ethical guidelines, although not breaking any U.S. laws. Kamrava, a general practitioner who lacks board certification for obstetrics and gynecology.

The Octuplet Doc is also reportedly being investigated by the California state medical board for implanting too many embryos inside Nadya Suleman. Did the doctor try to increase the odds based on his prior track record? One think is for sure, any hospital associated with Dr. Kamrava will take a closer look. He may not lose his license but the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology will probably sanction him.

The Associated Press estimated her medical costs could be $1.3 million in addition to the $2.7 million estimated to raise all 14 children to the age of 17. Police are even investigating death threats against her, and the once-celebrated mom of many has reportedly gone into hiding.


sources: forbes, scientific american. Associated Press

Octuplet Fertility Clinic Identified

The fertility clinic that performed the in virto fertilization on Nadya Suleman, the octuplet mom, has been identified. According to Nadya Suleman, she went to West Coast IVF Clinic in Beverly Hills in Beverly Hills, California. The clinic is headed by Dr. Michael Kamrava who's specialties are Obstetrics & Gynecology, Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility.

On his website, he describes himself as "an internationally recognized leader in the field of in vitro fertilization" who has helped pioneer "breakthrough technology that revolutionized IVF, reducing risks to both the mother and child."

According to statistics collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, his clinics performed 20 in vitro procedures in 2006 on women younger than 35. Of those procedures, four resulted in pregnancies and only two of those resulted in births. One of the patients delivered twins. His pregnancy rate and live birth rate are far below the national average, according to the statistics.

At the same time, the average number of embryos that he transferred per procedure -- 3.5 -- was among the highest in the country for women younger than 35. Fertility specialists say that a high number of embryo transfers usually reflects either a patient population with an especially poor prognosis or problems with the laboratory.

Medical guidelines established by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine recommend transferring no more than two embryos per procedure in women younger than under 35 except in "extraordinary circumstances."

Suleman told NBC's Ann Curry that her treatment was "very appropriate." He implanted six embryos, which she had remaining from previous procedures because of her medical history, which included scarred fallopian tubes.

"At the time I was so focused, so fixated on wanting so many that I just kept going," said Suleman, who is single, unemployed and lives with her mother. "The most I would have ever anticipated would have been twins. It wasn't twins times four."

Dr. Richard Paulson, who heads the fertility program at the University of Southern California, cautioned against rushing to judgment in this case because questions remain about the quality of Suleman's eggs and whether there were any extraordinary circumstances that would lead Kamrava to transfer so many embryos.

Suleman, who said she is not on government assistance, said that with six children, she was struggling financially to support them and probably would not have been able to make it without the support of her mother, who allowed the family to stay with her in her three-bedroom suburban home southeast of downtown L.A.

However, her publicist Mike Furtney said Suleman receives $490 a month in food stamps. She also receives disability payments for three of her six previous children, but Suleman did not want to disclose the nature of her children's disabilities or the nature of those payments.

Asked how she could afford in-vitro -- it typically costs between $8,000 and $15,000 -- Suleman said she had saved money and used some of the more than $165,000 in disability payments she received after being injured in a 1999 riot at a state mental hospital where she worked.

Before we jump to conclusions - Dr. Kamrava has not been identified as the doctor who performed the in vitro procedure on Nadya Suleman. But in the same light, he is responsible for everything that goes on in his clinic. Expect more details to surface regarding an investigation by the Medical "police" in California.

source: LA Times, Associated Press

Public Gets First Glimpse of Suleman Octuplets

All the attention of the Suleman octuplet saga has been focused on the mom and fertility doctor, but today it has shifted to the eight tiny infants.

Nadya Suleman, 33, the single mother whose octuplets were delivered two weeks ago, introduced her babies to the world today.

The eight brothers and sisters, expected to remain in the Californian hospital for the next two weeks, have mainly been given Biblical names.

"Hi, Maliah, your eyes are open,” Ms Suleman said to the first child. "This is Noah and he's doing well. He's blond, the only one with blond hair."

She said that Jonah, the smallest baby, was the troublemaker and that Isaiah was beginning to recognise her voice. Jeremiah is being treated for jaundice and she apologised to Nariah, McCai and Josiah for making only a brief visit to the hospital.

"I wish I could stay all day long, but I can't," she said to the children on NBC television. “Your brothers and sisters at home want to see you ... I can't wait until they're all together. We are not a whole family."

Ms Suleman’s mother, who was at home looking after the other six children, sounded distinctly less impressed in an interview last night.

Angela Suleman described the decision by her daughter to have eight more babies using IVF treatment as unconscionable.

“She already has six beautiful children, why would she do this?” she said. “I’m struggling to look after her six. We had to put in bunk beds, feed them in shifts and there’s children’s clothing piled all over the house.”

All 14 children were conceived after sperm donation by the same friend of Ms Suleman and she used the same doctor for all of her IVF treatment.

source: timesonline.co.uk

Doc "Ock" Broke Medical Guidelines In Octuplet Case

It appears that Doc "Ock", the unnamed doctor who performed in vitro fertilization on Nadya Suleman, broke the medical guidelines for implanting embryos. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommends that a woman under the age of 35 should have no more than two embryos implanted by way of in vitro fertilization (IVF). That limit was chosen in order to avoid multiple births through IVF which exposes both mother and offspring to significant health risks.
According to her mother, Angela Suleman, all 14 children were conceived through in vitro fertilization with the same sperm donor. Nadya Suleman confirmed that six were implanted, two of which resulted in twins. Angela Suleman told the Associated Press that her daughter opted for IVF treatment because her fallopian tubes were "plugged up," and decided to have more children so that the frozen embryos left over after her previous pregnancies wouldn't be destroyed.
While it makes recommendations, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine does not have the legal power to enforce guidelines. It can only oust unethical members from its ranks. But the Medical Board of California does have the ability to investigate claims filed against physicians and impose sanctions. The board will be looking into whether the as-yet unnamed physician or clinic that treated Suleman violated the standard of care for the profession. Candis Cohen, spokeswoman for the medical board, says they are at the beginning of the inquiry, which could take several months to conclude. If found guilty of misconduct, the medical practitioner involved could face punishment ranging from a letter of reprimand to the surrendering of his or her medical license.
The big question that needs to be answered is did the public indirectly end up footing the bill for the procedure? One cycle on IVF can cost up to $10,000 and questions have arisen about how Nadya Suleman, earning just $625 a week, could afford the procedure.
Though it is true that Nadya received approximately $168,000 due to an injury sustained on the job, she hasn't worked for some time and has six children to support. In addition, her mom has filed bankruptcy, claiming almost $1 million in debt.
Stay tuned! Once Doc "Ock" comes out of hiding, I'm sure new questions will be raised!

source: time.com

Nadya Suleman's Doc "Ock" Still Unknown

I wonder how the fertility doctor of the octuplet mom must be feeling right about now - knowing sooner or later he will have to face the music and explain why he allowed Nadya Suleman, a woman with 6 kids (2 -7 years old) to undergo in vitro fertilization.

It seems that the public outroar over this case has triggered an investigation by the Medical Board of California - to see if there was a "violation of the standard of care", board spokeswoman Candis Cohen said yesterday.

"The revelation about one center treating her makes the treatment even harder to understand," said Arthur Caplan, bioethics chairman at the University of Pennsylvania. "They went ahead when she had six kids, knowing that she was a single mom ... and put embryos into her anyway."

In the United States, there is no law dictating the number of embryos that can be placed in a mother's womb. Multiple embryos can be implanted to improve the odds that one will take.
Still no word from the doctor who performed the in vitro procedure.

I bet right now he wishes he could crawl into a womb and hide for 8 months!

Nadya Suleman, Plastic Surgery and Octopus Arms

The media is fixated on the octuplet mom because they all see a free lunch. But it won't be a free lunch - in fact, they will be paying for a very expensive lunch if they wish to ever talk to Nadya Suleman.

I am so amazed there are very few questions about the octuplets. Wouldn't you expect questions like ... How are the children? What are their names? How much do they weigh? Who is older? Who is the youngest? What color hair do they do? Do they look like their mom?

No, all you hear are more rumors.

The latest rumor in the Octuplet saga is that the octuplets mom, Nadya Suleman, has undergone massive plastic surgery including collagen plumped lips (Jolie lips), cheek implants and a nose job.

Don't be surprised to hear the next rumor that Nadya is going to have 6 more arms attached so she can cuddle her octuplets in "octupus arms"!

Is the attention deserved? Does jealousy have anything with it? Or are we all just curious and amazed that this real life story even exists? Who knows!

It shouldn't be long before you see Nadya and all the kids on Letterman, Leno and maybe even a special appearance on Scrubs!

She's got to make a living some how!

Nadya Suleman Airs It Out On The "Today" Show

It looks like Nadya Suleman is finally talking! The octuplet mom has given an interview to NBC's Today Ann Curry that will air some time next week.

The mother of 14 defends her decision about undergoing in vitro fertilization when she already had 6 kids at home. She disspells any thoughts of her being completely irresponsible and selfish to bring these children in the world without a clear source of income and enough help to raise them.

During the interview, Nadya Suleman, 33, talks about how she fell into deep depression after years of failed pregnancies. It took her 7 years before she had her first child. In 1999 she gave birth for the first time, after a 1999 injury during a riot at a state mental hospital where she worked.

According to a psychological evaluation in her workers' compensation case, Suleman feared she would lose the child and sunk into an intense depression.

"When you have a history of miscarriages, you think it will take a miracle," she told Dr. Dennis Nehamen. "I just wanted to die. I suspected I was pregnant but I thought, 'That's ridiculous.'"

But the 2001 birth of the baby "helped my spirits," Suleman said.

Papers filed in the Worker's Comp case show she collected over $165,000 in disability payments between 2002 and 2008 for the work injury.

Ms. Suleman also discussed the pain she endured as a result of the breakup of her marriage to Marcos Gutierrez, whom she wed in 1996 and divorced in 2008.

It appears that the general public is still unsure what to think about the whole thing. Many still wonder what were her motives really were.

Could jealousy be a reason for the negative sentiment? I mean she is the most sought after mom in the world and she has plenty of potential offers, including possible book and TV deals, and might do other interviews later!

Maybe we are all focused on the wrong person - shouldn't we be thinking about the children and their health?

Octuplet Mom Says She Had Dysfunctional Childhood

Nadya Suleman has given an interview to NBC's "Today" show that will air next week. She talks about her attempts at getting pregnant, who the sperm donor was, her reasons for having so many kids and her childhood life.

Here are more of the details:

Nadya Suleman says she once feared you could never have kids and that she fell into depression after enduring multiple failed pregnancies and the anguish of not having children.

She was asked - why so many kids?
"That was always a dream of mine, to have a large family, a huge family," Suleman told NBC's "Today" show on Thursday in an interview scheduled to air next week. "I just longed for certain connections and attachments with another person that ... I really lacked, I believe, growing up."

The interview, along with public documents obtained by The Associated Press, lifted the veil of secrecy in which Suleman shrouded herself after the Feb. 26 birth of her octuplets.

She told NBC she struggled for seven years before finally giving birth to her first child. According to state documents, Suleman told a doctor she had three miscarriages. Another doctor disputed that number, saying she had two ectopic pregnancies, a dangerous condition in which a fertilized egg implants somewhere other than in the uterus.

Suleman said all 14 of her children were born by in vitro fertilization from sperm donated by a friend.

Suleman's publicist, Mike Furtney, said Thursday that Suleman was "feeling great" and looking forward to being reunited with her octuplets, who were born prematurely and are expected to remain in the hospital for several more weeks.

The state documents describe Suleman, 33, becoming pregnant with her first child after a 1999 injury during a riot at a state mental hospital where she worked.

Suleman feared she would lose the child and sunk into an intense depression, according to a psychological evaluation in her workers' compensation case.

"When you have a history of miscarriages, you think it will take a miracle," she told Dr. Dennis Nehamen. "I just wanted to die. I suspected I was pregnant but I thought, 'That's ridiculous.'"

But the 2001 birth of the baby "helped my spirits," Suleman said.

More than 300 pages of documents were disclosed to The Associated Press following a public records request to the state Division of Workers' Compensation.

Among other things, they reveal that Suleman collected more than $165,000 in disability payments between 2002 and 2008 for the work injury, which she said left her in near-constant pain and helped end her marriage.

Details of the documents were reported the same day that NBC released excerpts of Suleman's first interview since giving birth.

In the interview — which was scheduled to air on the "Today" show Monday and again Tuesday on "Dateline" — Suleman calls her childhood as an only child "pretty dysfunctional."

In the state documents, however, doctors quote her as indicating she had a happy childhood. She told them she was an above-average student at Nogales High School in La Puente, where she enjoyed being a cheerleader, had many friends and stayed out of trouble. She said both her parents were loving and supportive.

According to the state documents, Suleman was injured Sept. 18, 1999, when a riot involving nearly two dozen patients broke out in the women's ward of the Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk, where she worked as a psychiatric technician. As she was helping other staff members restrain a patient, a desk thrown at her by another patient hit her in the back. It damaged her spine and left her complaining of headaches and intense pain throughout her lower body for years.

Suleman attributed the lingering pain in part to the breakup of her marriage to Marcos Gutierrez, whom she wed in 1996 and divorced in 2008.

She told a psychiatrist the bouts of depression she was suffering as a result of her injury were unfair to her husband.

"I don't want to keep bringing him down," she said. "I want him to move on with his life."

Public records show Suleman was listed on the Metropolitan State Hospital payroll from 1997 until last year, although it appears she did little work after September 1999 because of her injury.

During a hearing on her case in December 2001, Suleman said pregnancy aggravated her back condition. She said she spent most of the day in bed and was unable to care for her first child, according to a report by workers' compensation judge Jerome Bulavsky.

After examining her in August, Dr. Steven Nagelberg attributed 90 percent of her condition to the work incident and 10 percent to her pregnancy.

sources: Associated Press, yahoo, NBC

Octuplet's Mom Resting While Father Is In Vitro

Nadya Suleman, the woman who gave birth to octuplets was already a mother of six by the time she ended an eight-year marriage last year, though all the children came from in vitro fertilization — not from her ex-husband.
Nadya Suleman was married to Marcos Gutierrez in 1996, and the couple separated in 2000. Gutierrez filed for the divorce, which was finalized in January 2008.
The births of the octuplets has the medical community aghast as to why a mother of six was given fertility treatment. Nadya still has not given interviews and no pictures have been released.
A review of divorce papers by The Associated Press shows Gutierrez is the father of a boy named Samuel, but he was not subject to joint-custody. Suleman is not the boy's mother.
Suleman had six children by in vitro fertilization by the time the divorce was finalized. Those children are now ages 2 to 7, and include a pair of fraternal twins.
Two years before her divorce, Suleman earned a degree in child and adolescent development from California State University, Fullerton. As late as last spring she was studying for a master's degree in counseling, college spokeswoman Paula Selleck said.
Suleman was employed by a mental hospital from 1997 through 2008, but her income remains unclear.
The 33-year-old's identity and hometown remained anonymous for several days until a neighbor's tip led media to her home in Whittier, about 15 miles east of Los Angeles.
Still, neither the woman nor her world famous newborns have been introduced to the public. They remain in a hospital in Bellflower where they all appear to doing better.
The babies, born nine weeks premature on Jan. 26, were breathing without assistance and being tube-fed Wednesday.
"The babies are all getting stronger every day," Suleman's mother, Angela Suleman, told The Associated Press.
The woman, who spoke briefly at her front door in Whittier while children could be heard playing inside the house, said doctors hadn't determined when her daughter would return home.
"It will probably be a few more days," she said.
source: LA Times

The Big Picture of Nadya Suleman Uncovered With More Details

According to the LA Times, more details began to emerge Tuesday about Nadya Suleman, the Whittier mother of newborn octuplets and six other children.

Records show that Suleman, 33, had filed for workers’ compensation in 1999 while employed as a psychiatric technician at Metropolitan State Hospital.

Details for the claim were not available. In 2001, Suleman filed a second claim with the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board for "injury to neck, back and shoulders from auto accident on commute for medical treatment," according to records filed with the California Department of Industrial Relations.

The records indicate that her actual earnings at the time of injury were "max," but no specific dollar amount was provided. Suleman received treatment for the injuries that were covered by her employer or insurance company, records show.

She was not covered by Medi-Cal. Patricia Ortiz, public information officer for the state Division of Workers' Compensation, said that "max" earnings means that Suleman was earning at least $490 per week at the time of her injury.

The claim was filed, records stated, because of a disagreement regarding liability for: temporary disability indemnity, permanent disability indemnity, reimbursement for medical expense, medical treatment, compensation at proper rate and rehabilitation. Additional records show that on Sept. 25, 2008, a petition was filed to compel Suleman to attend a medical exam with "petition to terminate liability for temporary disability indemnity."

No other details about Suleman’s case were available. Since the birth last week of the octuplets, Suleman has come under criticism for undergoing fertility treatment despite the fact she already had six children and was a single mother. It does not appear that Suleman was working, though she has been attending school at Cal State Fullerton, where she was pursuing a master’s degree in counseling.

Meanwhile, officials at Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical Center said Tuesday afternoon that the octuplets continue to do well. “The world might see them as octuplets, but in our [unit] they are eight individual babies with their own personalities and needs," said Mandhir Gupta, a neonatologist. Officials said the babies were breathing on their own and receiving a nutritional supplement intravenously that is tailored to their individual needs. They are also being fed donated pasteurized breast milk.

Everyone is amazed and intrigued with the story of this unemployed woman with 6 kids who decided to go ahead and have more kids using in vitro fertilization. One thing is for sure, her story will reap millions. Why you might ask? The tabloids are having a bidding war for exclusive rights to her disfunctional story - and the curious want to know what makes this woman tick!

Octuplet Mom Was Crazy About Having Kids

Nadya Suleman, the woman who gave birth to the octuplets in California last month, conceived all 14 of her children through in vitro fertilization. Nadya is not married and has been obsessed with having kids since she was a teenager.

Nadya's grandmother, Angela says she was not supportive of her daughter in deciding to have more kids last year. Nadya's had six children previously, all between the ages of 2 and 7.

There were frozen embryos left over after her previous pregnancies and her daughter didn't want them destroyed, so she decided to have more children.

Her mother and doctors have said the woman was told she had the option to abort some of the embryos and, later, the fetuses. She refused.

Her mother said she does not believe her daughter will have any more children.

"She doesn't have any more (frozen embryos), so it's over now," she said. "It has to be."

Her daughter's obsession with children caused Angela Suleman considerable stress, so she sought help from a psychologist, who told her to order her daughter out of the house.

"Maybe she wouldn't have had so many kids then, but she is a grown woman," Angela Suleman said. "I feel responsible and I didn't want to throw her out."

Little psychological research has been conducted on the reasons some mothers seem hooked on repeated pregnancies but some suspect it is some kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Her obsession seems to centers around children, having children and being a mother.

Nadya Suleman holds a degree in child and adolescent development from California State University, Fullerton, and as late as last spring she was studying for a master's degree in counseling, college spokeswoman Paula Selleck told the Press-Telegram.

Birth certificates reviewed by The Associated Press identify a David Solomon as the father for the four oldest children. Certificates for the other children were not immediately available.

Angela Suleman told reporters Friday that doctors implanted far fewer than eight embryos but they multiplied. Experts said this could be possible since Nadya Suleman's system has likely been hyperstimulated for years with fertilization treatments and drugs.

The news that the octuplets' mother already had six children sparked an ethical debate. Some medical experts were disturbed to hear that she was offered fertility treatment, and troubled by the possibility that she was implanted with so many embryos.

Others worried that she would be overwhelmed trying to raise so many children and would end up relying on public support.

Many now believe that a bidding war will erupt for the rights to publish the story of this extraordinary occurrence. And the family needs the money desperately. Not only will they have to feed the 14 kids but according to court records in San Bernardino, Nadya's mother filed for bankruptcy last year, claiming $1 million in liabilities as a result of a bad housing investment. They show that Suleman - who changed her name from Nadya Doub in 2001 - divorced her husband, Marcos Gutierrez, a year ago. But he may not be the father of the first six children, because the divorce filing indicates no children were produced from the marriage.

And the soap opera continues, with the case of the Suleman octuplets sending shockwaves through the medical fertility community. Few reputable doctors can understand how Nadya was allowed to have fertility treatment without raising serious questions about her mental stability, her ability to raise such a large family and the huge medical dangers involved in giving birth to so many children at once.

Her fertility doctor has remained nameless.

The eight babies — six boys and two girls — were delivered by cesarean section weighing between 1 pound, 8 ounces and 3 pounds, 4 ounces. Forty-six physicians and staff assisted in the deliveries.

Octuplet Mom Goes To Hollywood

Nadya Suleman, the mother who gave birth to octuplets last week, is looking to go to Hollywood and star in television. She truly believes that she has a career as a child care expert.
The single mom is also looking for handouts of up to $2 million from media and commercial sponsorship to help the cost of raising children. Oh, by the way, she already had 6 kids before the octuplets were born.
But her dreams of being a TV star might just happen. She plans on talking to who else, but teh Queen of talk show TV, Oprah Winfred and maybe even Diane Sawyer.
But the big question is who will take care of her fourteen kids while she's on the TV set. Maybe Oprah will do it!
I am sure that Oprah and/or Diane Sawyer will help by buying them a home and lining up some child product companies and medical specialists to provide diapers, food and health care. But it would be completely irresponsible to allow the mom to work on Set when these eight newborns need their mom.
Anyway, the soap opera continues. Stay tuned.