Mystery doctor emerges in octuplet saga

LOS ANGELES - The Southern California mother of octuplets was implanted with embryos at a Beverly Hills fertility clinic run by a well-known - and controversial - specialist who pioneered a method for helping women conceive.

Dr. Michael Kamrava's name emerged yesterday as a result of an interview aired that day on NBC with Nadya Suleman, who gave birth to eight babies Jan. 26.

Over the past two weeks, the identity of Suleman's fertility doctor has been a source of mystery because of questions about the ethics of implanting numerous embryos in a woman who already had six children.

Kamrava, 57, did not immediately return a pager message left by the Associated Press, and a receptionist at his clinic near Rodeo Drive said he was not giving interviews.

Without identifying the doctor, the Medical Board of California said last week it was looking into the Suleman case to see whether there was a "violation of the standard of care." The medical board said yesterday it has not taken any disciplinary action against Kamrava in the past.

In the NBC interview, Suleman did not identify her doctor but said she went to the West Coast IVF Clinic in Beverly Hills - of which Kamrava is director - and that all 14 of her children were conceived with help from the same doctor. In 2006, Los Angeles TV station KTLA ran a story on infertility that showed Kamrava treating Suleman and discussing embryo implantation.

Some fertility specialists said Kamrava is a controversial figure in the field. "He's tried some novel techniques and some of those methods have been controversial," said Dr. John Jain, founder of Santa Monica Fertility Specialists.

ASSOCIATED PRESS