The Beverly Hills doctor whose fertility treatment led to the birth of Nadya Suleman's octuplets -- and her six previous children -- has one of the worst success rates of any fertility clinic in the country, according to federal records reviewed by The Times.
In fact, Suleman's children represent a sizable portion of the pregnancy rate at his clinic over the last several years -- and taxpayers are already footing part of the bill.
Suleman receives at least $490 a month in food stamps, and three of her first six children are disabled and receiving federal benefits. Moreover, Kaiser Permanente's Bellflower Medical Center has asked California's health plan for the poor to cover the enormous cost of medical care for the eight premature infants in its care, according to multiple sources familiar with the case.
The disclosures came as the identity of the doctor who provided Suleman, a 33-year-old single mother, with the in vitro fertilizations became public Monday. In an interview on NBC, she identified the clinic as West Coast IVF Clinic, which is run by Dr. Michael M. Kamrava.
Kamrava, 57, has presented himself in interviews and on his website as a medical pioneer who discovered a breakthrough in in vitro fertilization procedures.
But according to federal records reviewed by The Times, of the 61 procedures he conducted in 2006 -- the most recent data available -- only five resulted in pregnancies and only two of those resulted in births. One of those births was Suleman's twins.
The pregnancy rate achieved by his clinic was so low that it probably spurred a professional association to offer him help in improving his record.
"These are the worst numbers I've ever seen. This is absurdly low," said Dr. Mark Surrey, another fertility specialist in Beverly Hills.
But in Suleman, Kamrava found a patient who got pregnant and gave birth every time.
For seven years, Suleman attempted to get pregnant through artificial insemination and fertility drugs. When she finally tried in vitro fertilization at Kamrava's clinic, it worked the first time -- and each time after that.
Among IVF specialists in Southern California, Kamrava is known for promoting techniques to improve success rates.
