Doctor Reveals 91-Year-Old Has Been Pregnant For 60 Years
In Shock
From the corner of his eye, he noticed something else about the scan. He had seen numerous tumors throughout his time as a doctor, but none looked quite like this.
Immediately, he called for help. Two doctors stood in front of Melendez, analyzing the mysterious scan. When they finally discovered what it was, they fell back in shock. They had never seen anything like this.
Estela Melendez
Pixabay
91-year-old, Estela Melendez lived in the small town of La Boca in Chile. For 70 years, she lived with her late husband who sadly passed away a couple of years ago.
Now, Melendez lived alone and was slowly growing more and more plagued by the aches and pains of aging bones. But she had a loving family that loved to look after her.
Concerned Family
Dignity Memorial
Melendez had two younger sisters with nieces and nephews that made sure to check up on her often. Every other day her house would be full of visitors.
They paid special attention to her after her late husband passed away. It was a welcomed gesture for Melendez. Losing her husband was a devastating blow but one she knew was coming. Unlike the shocking discovery that was coming her way.
Stomach Pains
Pixabay
Melendez was active for her age, she walked to town to do her food shopping every other day and went for a stroll in the park when she could. But lately, she noticed her joints were getting more stiff than usual.
One back pain rolled into the next. Her knees hurt and she was beginning to suffer from stomach pains. She tried to ignore it and continue her routines as normal but then disaster struck.
A Fall
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Melendez was on her way out of her house to pick up a few ingredients for a potato and leek soup when she fell and hit her hip off the cold pavement ground.
Luckily, her nephew found her shortly after her fall and immediately brought her to the emergency department at their nearest hospital. They had no idea that they were about to make history.
Doctor Visit
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Melendez insisted that she was fine but her nephew wasn’t having any of it. And when the doctor saw her, he agreed that they needed to treat her fall seriously.
At her age, a fall could be lethal. A simple fall could result in broken or fractured bones, even internal bleeding. You could never be too careful so he booked her in for a scan. A scan that would end up shocking the nation.
A Scan
Public Domain
Melendez reluctantly agreed to the scan. She lay on a slender table as a flashing light rotated around her from head to toe. Two radiologists sat behind a protected screen directing her to stay still. She did as they said.
It lasted only a couple of minutes and she was done. She went back to her doctor who was already analyzing the scans. His brows furrowed. Something was very, very wrong.
Speculation
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The doctor measured a circular shape in her scan. He asked Melendez if she ever had stomach aches. Melendez replied that she did. “I think you may have a tumor in your uterus”, he said. “It could be benign and completely harmless but we should look into it and run some blood tests”.
But just before he wrote her up for bloodwork, he noticed something else.
Strange Pattern
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From the corner of his eye, he noticed something else about the scan. He had seen numerous tumors throughout his time as a doctor, but none looked quite like this.
He stepped closer, focusing on the strange pattern that caught his attention. He cocked his head sideways, trying to make out the unusual pattern. Suddenly, he called his colleague for help.
Second Opinion
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Melendez watched in confusion as another doctor came strolling in. They hovered over the scan, looking curiously at the circular shape. Both their heads cocked side to side as they tried to make sense of the image.
Suddenly, the new doctor’s eyes widened. He looked at Melendez in shock, then looked back at the scan.
Pregnant!
The Independent
He quickly whispered to Melendez’s doctor and walked out, leaving Melendez’s doctor stunned. “You’re pregnant”, he told Melendez. Melendez’s shock quickly turned to laughter.
“This is impossible”, he said. Melendez suddenly realized he was serious. “This is impossible”, she replied. “So you haven’t been trying for a baby?”, he asked. Her reply sent shivers up his spine.
60 Years Pregnant
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Melendez said that the last time she tried to get pregnant was 60 years ago. The doctor’s jaw dropped. This was the first time he had ever witnessed something like this.
The doctor told Melendez that she had been carrying a fetus in her womb for 60 years. More specifically, she was carrying a ‘calcified fetus’. What did that mean?
Stone Baby
Pixabay
The condition is also known as a lithopedion or a ‘stone baby’. It happens when a pregnancy goes wrong and a calcified layer forms around the fetus protecting the mother from its dead tissue.
Usually, when a miscarriage happens, the mother will often expel the fetus or the fetus will disintegrate back into the mother’s body. Neither happened in Melendez’s case but it did leave a devastating consequence.
Infertility Explanation
SHEmazing!-2
“Can you imagine? More than 60 years! I wonder how she never felt bad once the fetus died inside of her,” her nephew Luis Melendez told the television station.
Melendez and her late husband failed to have children during their lifetime. It was a dream they never realized and was their one regret in life. Little did they know, the fetus in Melendez’s womb was preventing her from getting pregnant. But there was more.
Sweet Reminder
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Melendez’s condition gave her a bittersweet reminder of her late husband and their unrealized dreams. However, it strangely gave her comfort. And because the calcified fetus was harmless, the doctors decided not to operate on Melendez to remove it.
Melendez was happy to follow their advice and left feeling closer to her late husband than ever.
