Octomom's Fertility Doc Moves to Keep License

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The fertility doctor who helped "Octomom" Nadya Suleman become the mother of 14 children through repeated in vitro treatments is asking that he be allowed to continue practicing medicine while he appeals his license revocation.

Dr. Michael Kamrava asked a Los Angeles Superior Court judge Monday to delay a decision that revokes his license to practice medicine as of July 1.

The Beverly Hills fertility doctor represented himself in the filing, which claims the state's medical licensing agency "exceeded its jurisdiction and violated (his) due process right to earn a living" by revoking his license.

Kamrava declined further comment on the case when reached by phone Tuesday.

"It is what it is," he said.

Jennifer Simoes, spokeswoman for the Medical Board of California, said anyone can sue a state agency for any reason, but petitioning the court is unusual.

Outcomes can vary widely, from the court asking the board to reconsider its decision to refusing to hear the petition, Simoes said. But ultimately, licensing decisions lie with the board.

By law, Kamrava can petition for reinstatement of his license three years after revocation takes effect, though he would have to show considerable rehabilitation to persuade the board to give his license back.

In its decision earlier this month, the board noted that Kamrava was not "a maverick or deviant physician, oblivious to standards of care in IVF practice," but he failed to exercise proper judgment in patient care, including the care of Suleman.

Kamrava has acknowledged implanting 12 embryos into Suleman, then 33, prior to the pregnancy that produced her octuplets. It was six times the norm for a woman her age.

Suleman's octuplets are the world's longest surviving set. When they were born, the unemployed single mother already had six children — also conceived through Kamrava's treatments.

The state also found that Kamrava was negligent in the care of two other patients. He implanted seven embryos in a 48-year-old patient, resulting in quadruplets, but one fetus died before birth.

In another case, Kamrava went ahead with in vitro fertilization after tests detected atypical cells, which can indicate the presence of a tumor. The patient was later diagnosed with stage-three cancer and had to have her uterus and ovaries removed before undergoing chemotherapy.

No date has been set for the court to hear Kamrava's request.