Fetus found growing in a 40-day-old infant in a rare medical condition

In a rare medical condition, a fetus was seen developing inside the stomach of a 40-day-old infant in Bihar’s Motihari district. The condition was discovered when the new-born was admitted in the hospital due to bloating and discomfort in urinating. The team of doctors ran several tests, after which they found out that the infant suffered from ‘fetus-in-fetu.’

The new-born was brought to the Rahmania Medical Centre for surgery which was completed successfully. “The infant has undergone surgery and his condition is now stable,” Dr Tabrez Aziz of the Rahmania Medical Centre told news agency ANI. He further explained that “a fetus was seen developing inside the stomach of a 40-day-old infant.” This condition is called fetus-in-fetu, he elaborated.

What is fetus-in-fetu?

Fetus in fetu is a rare condition that has been defined as the presence of one of the twins in the body of the other. Fetus-in-fetu is so uncommon that few doctors would likely encounter it in their careers. An article in <i>medical journal</i>  estimates that the chances of it occurring in only about 1 in every 500,000 births. Owing to its rarity, fetus-in fetu requires a high degree of suspicion and meticulous surgical techniques for successful operation. Experts say it’s not something so sporadic that a regular person should not even worry about it happening to their baby.

Very few cases of fetus-in-fetu have been reported globally. A case was reported in Hong Kong roughly 5 years ago where the new-born had a fetus of his own siblings at the time of her birth, according to reports. In 2019, a woman in Israel gave birth to a baby girl who had the embryo of her twin in her abdomen, according to The Times of Israel.