44-Year-Old Fetus in 84 –Year-Old Woman

44-Year-Old Fetus in 84 –Year-Old Woman



44-Year-Old Fetus in 84 –Year-Old Woman

A 44-year-old fetus has been found in an 84-year-old Brazilian woman. The discovery came last Friday, when the woman's intense stomach pains landed her in a hospital in Tocantins state in central Brazil.

X-rays revealed the unthinkable: a "stone baby." This is a rare phenomenon known as lithopedion, in which the fetus grows and then dies outside of the uterus. With the body unable to rid itself of it, the dead fetus is instead covered in calcium as a means of protection, resulting in the "stone baby."

The X-rays discovered the face, the bones of the arms, of the legs, the ribs, and the spine of the fetus, which is believed to have died at between 20 and 28 weeks. That woman says she does not want the fetus removed.