Fetus In Fetu: 2-Year-Old Boy's Twin Found In His Stomach

Doctors in Pandan, Antique found a fetus inside a 2-year-old boy's stomach. The fetus is believed to be the child's embryonic twin absorbed into his abdomen when they were both in the womb.

Screen grab of GMA News TV report (Courtesy of GMA)

The phenomenon is called "fetus in fetu" which occurs in about one of every 500,000 live births.

"Fetus in fetu" takes place at the very early stage of twin pregnancy, when one fetus wraps around and envelops the other. The dominant fetus grows, while the fetus that would have been its twin lives on throughout the pregnancy, feeding off its host twin like a kind of parasite. Usually, both twins die before birth from the strain of sharing a placenta but sometimes the host twin survives just like the case in Antique and about a dozen more that have reported by the media over the years.

The little boy, whose name has not been released publicly, was supposed to get a surgery to remove the fetus from his stomach last year but because of Typhoon Yolanda his parents failed to bring him back to the hospital. He is currently admitted at the West Visayas State University Medical Center in Iloilo City. His family are now seeking for donations for the operation and medicines.

Below is GMA News TV's report of the "fetus in fetu" case in Antique: