In a rare medical case, an elderly Colombian woman discovered she had been carrying a calcified fetus, or “stone baby,” for approximately 40 years. The condition, scientifically known as lithopedion, occurs when a fetus dies during an abdominal pregnancy and is too large to be reabsorbed by the body. As a result, the fetus undergoes calcification, essentially turning to stone over time.
The woman sought medical attention after experiencing abdominal pain, prompting doctors to perform imaging tests. The X-ray revealed the startling discovery: a four-pound calcified fetus that had remained undetected for decades. According to medical experts, lithopedions are extremely rare, with only around 300 documented cases in medical literature.
Dr. Kim Garcsi, who previously led the ob/gyn clerkship program at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, explained that the calcification process serves a protective purpose. “When you get old cartilage in the knee, it calcifies,” she said. “Most of the time, people find these and sometimes even after they’re found, don’t do anything about it because they’re totally asymptomatic.”
Abdominal pregnancies occur in roughly 1 in 10,000 pregnancies, and modern medical diagnostics typically allow for early detection, preventing lithopedion formation. However, the woman in this case likely became pregnant in the 1970s, before such monitoring was widespread.
The phenomenon of lithopedion has been documented for centuries. The Spanish Muslim physician Abū al-Qāsim first described it in the 10th century. Subsequent cases were reported in humans and animals across Europe during the 18th century. Archaeological evidence from Texas indicates a lithopedion dating to 1100 BCE, and the most recent reported case occurred in Kenya in 2020.
The story has garnered attention online, with social media users expressing shock and sympathy. Comments highlighted both the rarity of the condition and the emotional impact of carrying an undiagnosed fetus for decades.
While unusual, lithopedions provide insight into the body’s protective mechanisms and the importance of modern medical diagnostics. This case serves as a reminder of the remarkable, and sometimes unsettling, ways the human body can respond to extreme circumstances.
