Nadya Suleman, shown leaving her former home in Whittier. Attorney Gloria Allred says the lawsuit she filed Monday is an effort to protect the financial interests of Suleman's octuplets. (Photo by Gary McCarthy)
Story Created:
Oct 19, 2009 at 11:22 AM PST
Story Updated:
Oct 19, 2009 at 11:22 AM PST
(CNN) -- The doctor who implanted six embryos in octuplets' mother Nadya Suleman last year has been expelled from a fertility medical society, a spokesman for the group said.
Dr. Michael Kamrava demonstrated "a pattern of behavior that violated the groups' standards," American Society for Reproductive Medicine spokesman Sean Tipton said.
An employee at Kamrava's Beverly Hills, California, clinic -- the West Coast IVF Clinic -- said the doctor would not be commenting on the expulsion.
The expulsion, which was imposed last month and just announced, does not affect Kamrava's ability to practice since affiliation with the professional association is voluntary.
Suleman -- known in the media as "Octomom" -- was 33 years old in January 2009 when she gave birth to eight babies. She was a single woman who already had six young children conceived through in-vitro fertilization.
The reproductive medicine society recommends no more than two embryos for women under 35 years old and no more than five for women over 40 -- for whom it is harder to get pregnant, according to guidelines published on its Web site.
Suleman, in an interview last February on NBC, said Kamrava told her about risks for the children, but she did not want to have only one or two embryos implanted.
"Of course not, I wanted them all transferred," she said. "Those are my children. And that's what was available and I used them. I took a risk. It's a gamble. It always is."
Two of the six embryos split in utero, resulting in the birth of eight babies.
Doctors say giving birth to extreme multiples comes with tremendous risks for the mother and the babies. Risks for the children include bleeding in the brain, intestinal problems, developmental delays and lifelong learning disabilities.
Suleman's children -- six boys and two girls born nine weeks premature -- all went home after an extended stay in the hospital. No indication has been given on whether any problems have emerged.
Suleman and her children will star in a "quasi-reality TV series" about the family, it was announced in June.
--CNN's Carey Bodenheimer contributed to this report
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