Life After IVF: Octomom 7 Years Later

11/1/2017

Life After IVF: Octomom 7 Years Later

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Life After IVF: Octomom 7 Years Later "My children were not a mistake - they were meant to be here." BY R.J. WILSON

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JAN 17, 2017

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Jess Smith

Nadya Suleman shocked the world when she gave birth to eight babies at once. Suleman had been married, but she and her husband were separated. Later, her exhusband admitted their relationship failed because of the couple's inability to have children—he didn't want to try in vitro fertilization (IVF). After their separation, Suleman proceeded with IVF treatments, which resulted in six children before 2008. That's when she became pregnant with eight more children. A D V ERT I S E M E N T

Such an incredible pregnancy and birth made headlines around the world. People were absolutely fascinated by the fact that one woman could carry so many children at once. http://www.healthyway.com/content/life-after-ivf-octomom-7-years-later?rtg=intelligenceissexy-iskBVs¶m4=hwy-fni-fbss-2871-us-de-pengage¶m5=1015…

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Jess Smith

A D V ERT I S E M E N T

IVF, or in vitro fertilization, is a form of "assisted reproductive technology," which is a medical procedure that helps a couple who can't get pregnant via natural means of conception. As with arti cial insemination, the sperm and egg are brought together with the assistance of a physician, but IVF takes place outside of the woman's body to begin with.

http://www.healthyway.com/content/life-after-ivf-octomom-7-years-later?rtg=intelligenceissexy-iskBVs¶m4=hwy-fni-fbss-2871-us-de-pengage¶m5=1015…

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When a woman undergoes IVF, her eggs are removed, and the healthiest or most viable ones are inseminated in a laboratory dish. Once an egg is fertilized and the cells are dividing properly, the embryo is transferred to the woman's uterus and the pregnancy proceeds naturally from there.

It is common for IVF to result in multiple babies. IVF doesn't always take the rst time, and it's an extremely expensive, time-consuming, and exhausting procedure involving a lot of medical tests, hormone injections, and other challenges. A D V ERT I S E M E N T

To help avoid jumping through all those hoops more than once, multiple fertilized eggs are often placed in the uterus with the hope that at least one will survive. Sometimes several http://www.healthyway.com/content/life-after-ivf-octomom-7-years-later?rtg=intelligenceissexy-iskBVs¶m4=hwy-fni-fbss-2871-us-de-pengage¶m5=1015…

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of them survive, though.

Jess Smith


Because of this, one of the common side effects of IVF is the development of twins or triplets. Or, in Suleman's case, octuplets. The fact that Suleman's octuplets were all born healthy was an even bigger miracle. These octuplets actually broke a record when they all lived one week. Tragically, no previous octuplets had all survived longer than a week because it's a very risky pregnancy.


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Jess Smith


But Suleman's babies were all born healthy and remained so in the weeks after they were born. Doctors were actually shocked that she had such a healthy group of children. This further reinforced the idea that the Octomom's amazing birth was a miracle of epic proportions.

The state of California, however, was not impressed. The octuplets were conceived via IVF, and the doctor who performed the treatment, Michael Kamrava, implanted Suleman with a dozen embryos. While he did so at her request, the state of California revoked his medical license, charging him with "gross negligence" and "repeated negligent acts, for an excessive number of embryo transfers." A D V ERT I S E M E N T

The state called this an "extreme" departure from the standard of care. Of course, the case highlights the role of physicians and medical care providers, and spurs questions about whether their allegiance should be to their individual patients or the greater good— whatever that may be.


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NBC Los Angeles


Right after her children were born, Suleman hired the Killeen Furtney Group to handle her public relations. The rm quit representing her when they began receiving death threats almost immediately. Suleman herself received death threats, and there was a protest outside her home where she lived with her mother. The day she brought the seventh baby home from the hospital, someone threw a baby seat through her car window.

The Washington Times A D V ERT I S E M E N T


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Life After IVF: Octomom 7 Years Later A D V ERT I S E M E N T

Much of the outrage stemmed from the fact that Suleman had six children already. Many people who undergo risky IVF treatments have no children and are desperate for at least one child, but not Suleman. She already had a large family and suddenly had eight more as the result of a single pregnancy. People were up in arms about this decision. But it was a decision both she and her physician decided was hers to make. "I don't get much sleep, about two or three hours a night," she told People magazine. "But I'm continuing to move forward with my life and trying to be the best mother I can be." A D V ERT I S E M E N T

Jesse Smith


But many people saw it as a publicity stunt on Suleman's part. The fact that she immediately hired a PR rm and started giving interviews to magazines like People right after the children were born contributed to the perception that she had the children only to become famous.


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Suleman adamantly denied those accusations, saying she just loved children. She also stated that the embryos used in the pregnancy were left over from previous treatments and she didn't want them to be destroyed. However, statements from her doctor have contradicted that. A D V ERT I S E M E N T

Getty Images


People were also upset because she was a single mother with 14 children. Having 14 children is a monumental task for even the wealthiest parents, but Suleman was a single mother who was still in school. This only added fuel to the re and contributed to suspicions that she had sel sh reasons for conceiving the children. Many people suspected that she would eventually come to rely on public assistance, although she vehemently denied the possibility. She went through several publicity handlers in the midst of these rumors, but that didn't stop her from basking in the media attention. A D V ERT I S E M E N T


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