Doctors were left shocked and bewildered when they discovered a “stone baby” inside the womb of an 84-year-old Brazilian woman. The “stone baby” is an actual fetus that was a result of a botched pregnancy she had 44 years ago.

The elderly woman was admitted to a hospital in the central state of Tocantins when she complained of dizziness and severe stomach pain. After getting a routine X-ray, doctors saw the figure of a fetus that was estimated to be 20 to 28 weeks old. The woman was immediately transferred to Porto Nacional Hospital to undergo more tests.

According to the doctors, the woman claimed to have fallen pregnant more than 40 years ago. She experienced unbearable pain during the pregnancy and visited a witch doctor in order to eliminate her discomfort. The healer then gave her medication, which provided her instant relief. Soon after, her belly stopped growing and the movement inside also ceased. Attending gynecologist Gesneria Saraiva Kratka says that the woman believed the baby had already been aborted.

Kratka also said that the fetus managed to stay in the woman’s abdomen for more than 40 years because it developed a calcified exterior over time, protecting the woman from suffering complications brought about by dead tissue. “Stone babies” – otherwise called lithopedions – result from dead fetuses that are unable to be reabsorbed by the mother’s body due to its size. Other cases of documented lithopedions include a 92-year-old Chinese woman with a 60-year-old fetus inside her body and a Colombian woman with a 40-year-old fetus in her womb.

Despite Kratka’s advice to undergo surgery, the Brazilian woman was said to have no plans of getting rid of her “stone baby” any time soon. She is due to undergo further tests and scans to get more information about the fetus, after which the doctors will consult with the woman’s family members regarding the operation.

‘Stone baby’ also found in Colombian woman last year

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