Doctors discover rare ectopic pregnancy in woman’s X-ray

After suffering with unexplained bloating and pain in her abdomen, doctors performed a scan and were stunned by what they found.

A woman who was mystified by her sudden and extreme bout of bloating was stunned when doctors discovered a foetus growing in her bowel.

The 37-year-old’s symptoms initially began with a dull pain in her abdomen.

But when the pain failed to subside and she began experiencing bloating, she eventually sought medical help.

After a physical examination, doctors performed an MRI scan, which revealed the cause of her 10-day pain was actually a rare ectopic pregnancy, a recent entry in the New England Journal of Medicine reads.

An ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilised egg does not implant in your uterus (womb) and a pregnancy develops outside of it, usually in a fallopian tube, Health Direct states.

Ectopic pregnancy is typically a type of early pregnancy loss, which usually happens at six to eight weeks.
But remarkably, in this instance, the woman was 23 weeks pregnant when the baby was dicovered growing in her bowel and it survived.

Doctors were stunned when they found a baby growing in the woman’s bowel – and she was 23 weeks along. Picture: Supplied

The unnamed woman, who visited doctors in France from her home in Reunion Island, in the Indian Ocean, carried the baby to 29 weeks when it was delivered by doctors.

Three months later, the baby was discharged from hospital.

It is possible for babies born at 23 to 24 weeks to survive, but they are at a greater risk of health complications.

At 29 weeks gestation, 80 to 90 per cent of babies survive outside the womb, and most go on to develop normally.

In Australia, almost 1 in every 10 babies is born prematurely. Most Australian premature babies are born between 32 and 36 weeks and don’t have any serious long-term problems.

Doctors delivered the baby by making an incision in the abdomen before immediately transferring the bub to the neonatal intensive care unit, the medical publication states.

The mother went for separate surgery 12 days after the birth to allow doctors to remove the rest of her placenta.

It was a happy outcome as she had already had two children and had previously suffered from a miscarriage, the report noted.

If you or someone you know has been affected by miscarriage or baby loss help is available. SANDS Australia provides support for people who have had a miscarriage, stillbirth or newborn death. You can call their Bereavement Support Line on 1300 308 307 — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Pink Elephants Support Network provides information and support for people who have had a miscarriage.