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!

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