Suleman, 33, whose other six children are also products of in vitro fertilization, or IVF, receives food stamps. She told NBC news that in her most recent fertility treatment, she wanted all six of her remaining frozen embryos to be transferred into her to maximize her chance of another pregnancy.
Numerous fertility doctors said that so many embryos should never have been used for a woman her age. Professional guidelines suggest a maximum of two.
But all six embryos took, and two are thought to have split, bringing the number of fetuses to eight. She declined to undergo a procedure to reduce the number, which doctors often recommend in pregnancies involving three or more fetuses.
As news of the octuplets' birth led to public outcry, the Medical Board of California announced it had launched an investigation into the case.
Before the octuplets brought him unwanted prominence, Kamrava sought attention as a pioneer in his field.
On his website, on television and in interviews on local Persian radio, he promoted unconventional fertility methods that he said would boost the chances that embryos would take.
In fact, he was a small player in the crowded field of fertility medicine in Southern California. His success rate was among the lowest in the country, according to statistics collected by the federal government. In the last five years for which data is available, only 30 of the 355 IVF procedures he performed resulted in live births.
At the same time, he was using more embryos per try than the vast majority of clinics nationwide, according to the statistics. Outside experts said the numbers suggested problems with his laboratory.
But there was little to hold him -- or any fertility doctor -- to account, beyond professional guidelines and the statistical reports required by the federal government documenting pregnancy and birth rates.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posts the reports on its website and in a book published yearly. Eight percent of the nation's 464 clinics don't report their numbers, and there is no penalty for the lapse.
Other countries take a stricter approach. In Europe, laws limit the number of embryos that can be used in a single procedure. National healthcare typically covers a certain number of IVF treatments, taking the pressure off doctors to achieve success on their first try. Birth rates are generally lower, but so are rates of multiple births.
