A US judge has recommended that Dr Michael Kamrava, a Beverly Hills fertility doctor responsible for providing IVF to 'Octomum' Ms Nadya Suleman, should be allowed to continue practising as a doctor.

Administrative Law Judge Daniel Juarez recommended Dr Kamrava receives five years probation for his treatment of Ms Suleman and other patients saying the evidence presented did not prove 'an absence of qualification, ability or fitness'.

Judge Juarez said that Dr Kamrava 'succeeded in presenting a defence to the majority of the allegations' and should be allowed to keep his medical licence. He said women would be 'adequately protected by a period of probation that includes, among other things, terms and conditions requiring (Dr Kamrava) to complete an ethics course'.

The Medical Board of California had accused Dr Kamrava of negligence for transferring above the recommended number ofembryos to Ms Suleman in the course of her treatment. A licensing panel heard previously how Dr Kamrava transferred 12 embryos at the request of Ms Suleman which resulted in the birth of octuplets in January 2009.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) guidelines state that women under the age of 35 should transfer no more than two, and preferably only one, fertilised embryo at any one time. For women aged over 40, the limit is five. The ASRM removed Dr Kamrava from its register in 2009, although it does not have the power to revoke medical licences.

The final decision regarding Dr Kamrava's fate is going to be made by The Medical Board of California, which was scheduled to discuss the case last week.

Reproduced from BioNews with permission, a web- and email-based source of news, information and comment on assisted reproduction and human genetics, published by Progress Educational Trust.