Maharashtra: Pregnant woman detected with rare 'fetus in fetu' condition in Buldhana

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A 32-year-old pregnant woman in Buldhana district in Maharashtra has been detected with 'fetus in fetu', an extremely rare condition in which a malformed fetus is located within the body of another fetus, an official said, PTI reported.

During the woman's routine check-up at Buldhana District Women's Hospital a few days ago, the unusual congenital defect was discovered, he added. The woman is 35 weeks pregnant.

According to the official, doctors discovered the problem when doing the woman's sonography at the hospital.

"Fetus in fetu" is one of the rarest cases - one in five lakh," hospital obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr. Prasad Agarwal told reporters on Tuesday, PTI cited.

Just 200 of these cases - including 10-15 in India - have been documented so far (globally), and they all occurred after delivery, he noted.

He further said, "But I was lucky and vigilant enough to notice something very unusual with this baby, which is almost 35 weeks, grossly normal growing fetus with a few bones and fetus-like structure in its abdomen".

"It struck me immediately that this is not normal. It was 'fetus in fetu', one of the rarest cases in the world. We had asked for a second opinion and the case was confirmed by radiologist Dr Shruti Thorat," he said, PTI cited.

As per PTI, the woman has been referred to a medical facility in neighbouring Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for a safe delivery and further procedure, the hospital authorities said.

Mumbai: Pregnant woman dies in ambulance lacking oxygen in Palghar

A 26-year-old pregnant woman from Maharashtra's Palghar district tragically lost her life, along with her unborn child, while being transported to a hospital in an ambulance lacking oxygen support and necessary medical facilities, officials confirmed on Wednesday.

The incident, which occurred on Tuesday evening, has once again brought the spotlight on the lack of adequate healthcare services in tribal and rural regions.

The woman, identified as Pinki Dongarkar, a resident of Sarni village, was in critical condition and rushed by her family to Kasa Rural Hospital.

However, due to complications arising from her condition, including Intrauterine Fetal Death (IUFD) - a condition where the foetus dies in the womb - hospital staff referred her to Silvassa city in the neighbouring Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli for further treatment.

(With PTI inputs)