Unborn Twin Surgically Removed From 15-Year-Old

It had hair, legs, and more
By Luke Roney,  Newser Staff
Posted May 30, 2016 12:32 PM CDT
Unborn Twin Surgically Removed From 15-Year-Old
   (Shutterstock)

Doctors in Malaysia recently identified the source of a teen’s longstanding stomach pain: his unborn twin. The fetus, which reportedly had developed to the point of having hair, legs, hands, and genitals, was surgically removed from the 15-year-old boy, according to Fox News, which quotes a report by Central European News. "The fetus removed from my son’s stomach was formed with organs like those of a baby—only the nose and mouth were not complete,” the teen's mother says. This is believed to be the first case of "fetus in fetu" known to have occurred in Malaysia, Medical Daily reports, noting that it happens about once per 500,000 births.

Medical Daily explains the fetus in this situation is typically "located in the retroperitoneal area—or the space between the membrane lining the cavity of the abdomen and the posterior abdominal wall." Indeed, Mohd Zul Shahril Saidin had an "oddly rounded shape tummy" and had periodically sought medical attention since he was a year old, Malaysian Digest reports. According to the Digest, the teen had been able to live an active life as a child, including playing sports, but his protruding stomach had more recently begun to interfere with his movement and the pain intensified last month. The family, which has a total of eight children, held a funeral for the fetus, which is now buried at a cemetery, the Mirror reports. (This preserved fetus likely is the youngest Egyptian mummy.)

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