Doctors thought they were removing a tumor — then they found a full-term baby

A Southern California woman preparing for surgery to remove a large ovarian tumor received a startling diagnosis: she was pregnant — and the baby was growing outside her uterus, tucked behind the mass. Medical teams at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles identified the condition as a rare abdominal ectopic pregnancy, then delivered a healthy baby boy during the complex operation.

The mother, Suze Lopez, 41, had been scheduled for removal of a 22-pound benign ovarian cyst that had caused irregular periods and abdominal discomfort for years. A routine pre-operative pregnancy test unexpectedly returned positive, prompting further imaging. Ultrasound and MRI scans revealed the fetus was not in the uterus; instead, he was developing in the abdominal cavity behind the large tumor, near the mother’s liver.

Such abdominal pregnancies are extremely uncommon. In this form of ectopic gestation, the fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, often on organs or blood vessels instead of uterine tissue, posing serious risks of bleeding and maternal harm. Most ectopic pregnancies are diagnosed early and do not reach viability, but in rare documented cases, infants have survived when delivered surgically later in pregnancy.

During the operation, surgeons removed the tumor and delivered the baby, named Ryu, weighing about 8 pounds. The delivery involved a multidisciplinary team of roughly 30 specialists. Lopez experienced significant bleeding but was stabilised with blood transfusions and intensive care. Both mother and child recovered and were discharged home.

Abdominal ectopic pregnancies account for a tiny fraction of all pregnancies and are often life-threatening. Successful full-term survival — as in Lopez’s case — is rare and typically involves advanced imaging, surgical expertise and quick clinical response. Another recent case reported a full-term abdominal ectopic pregnancy in Peru, where both mother and child survived after careful medical intervention.