A Nagpur man (60 years of age) who has been living with a bulging stomach for more than 30 years has been diagnosed with "fetus in fetu", a rare medical condition. Fetus-in-fetu (FIF) is a rare entity in which one malformed vertebrate foetus is enclosed within the body of its twin which is an example of "vanishing twin syndrome," meaning his twin died during pregnancy before being reabsorbed. He was nicknamed "Pregnant Man" due to his huge belly.
The Daily Star reports that Bhagat, who was struggling to make ends meet, ignored the swelling to carry on working and put up with the teasing from his peers as well as his family's concern. But in 1999, when the bulge pressed against his diaphragm and made it difficult for him to breathe, he was finally rushed to a hospital in Mumbai. Dr Ajay Mehta, who saw to Bhagat's treatment, immediately assumed the man was suffering from a tumour at first glance.
The news outlet further said the doctor cut open Bhagat's stomach and reached inside to retrieve what he believed would be a large cancer, but instead discovered a human being.
"He just put his hand inside, and he said there are a lot of bones inside," said a doctor, according to History Defined.
"First, one limb came out, then another limb came out. Then some parts of the genitalia, some parts of the hair, some limbs, jaws, limbs, and hair.
"We were horrified. We were confused and amazed... To my surprise and horror, I could shake hands with someone inside. It was a bit shocking for me."