An 82-year-old woman in Colombia had a "stone baby" in her womb for 40 years. It was discovered during an examination after she complained of abdominal pain. This happens when a pregnancy fails in the abdomen and the body turns the fetus into stone to prevent infection.

Colombia: There are some incidents that are hard to believe. Especially in medical cases, sometimes even doctors have no idea such things could happen. This is because doctors are often seeing such cases for the first time. In one such case, an 82-year-old woman, who went to the hospital complaining of severe pain in her lower abdomen, received a major shock.

When doctors scanned her, they were astonished. The reason was the discovery of a "stone baby" in the woman's pelvic area. This baby was not in the uterus, but in the joint between the pelvic bones, i.e., the lower part of the spine and waist. Doctors explained that this did not happen suddenly; the woman had been carrying this "stone baby" inside her body for nearly 40 years.

According to a Telegraph report, this 82-year-old Colombian woman had been carrying a four-pound calcified fetus called a "lithopedion" in her body for decades, and she wasn't even aware of it. Doctors discovered this "stone baby" when the woman underwent an X-ray. It was later removed through surgery. Speaking about this, Dr. Garci explained that a "stone baby," or lithopedion, forms when a pregnancy occurs in the abdomen instead of the uterus. He said that this condition occurs when the pregnancy ultimately fails, usually because the fetus doesn't receive adequate blood supply, and the body has no way to expel the fetus.

As a result, the body turns the fetus into stone. To create this "stone baby," the body uses the same immune process that protects the body from any foreign object found inside. Dr. Garcí said that while it may seem strange, this process helps maintain body health. Just as old cartilage in the knee becomes calcified when it becomes stuck, calcification of tissue protects the mother from infection. This is why this "stone baby" can remain undetected in the womb for decades.

In many cases, there are no symptoms even after it's detected. Dr. Garci explained that this type of abdominal pregnancy occurs in one in 10,000 pregnancies. This incident is 13 years old, but it's now making the rounds on social media, and many are shocked to hear that such a thing is possible.

 PC:Asianet News