Suze Lopez cradles her infant son, a profound sense of wonder washing over her as she reflects on his extraordinary entry into the world. Her baby, Ryu, developed not in her uterus, but in her abdomen, concealed by a massive ovarian cyst—a scenario so exceptionally rare it left her medical team astounded.
A Pregnancy Hidden in Plain Sight
The 41-year-old nurse from Bakersfield, California, had no idea she was expecting her second child until mere days before delivery. For months, as her belly grew, she and her doctors attributed the change to a longstanding ovarian cyst, which had been monitored since her 20s. Lopez experienced none of the typical signs of pregnancy: no morning sickness, no fetal kicks. With an irregular menstrual cycle, the absence of a period wasn't unusual for her.
Life proceeded normally for Lopez and her husband, Andrew, including international travel. However, increasing abdominal pain and pressure eventually prompted her to seek removal of what she believed was a 22-pound cyst. A required pre-surgery pregnancy test in August delivered a stunning result: it was positive.
A Medical Mystery Unfolds at Cedars-Sinai
After sharing the shocking news with her husband at a Los Angeles Dodgers game, Lopez began feeling unwell and went to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. There, doctors discovered she had dangerously high blood pressure. Subsequent ultrasounds and an MRI revealed an empty uterus. Instead, they found a nearly full-term fetus in an amniotic sac, tucked into a small space in her abdomen near her liver.
Dr. John Ozimek, medical director of labor and delivery at Cedars-Sinai, explained the incredible rarity. While about 1 in 30,000 pregnancies are abdominal, those that progress to full term are "essentially unheard of – far, far less than 1 in a million." He noted the baby was likely implanted on the pelvic wall, a dangerous but more manageable location than a vital organ like the liver.
Beating Overwhelming Odds
The risks were immense. Dr. Cara Heuser, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, noted that most ectopic pregnancies rupture if not removed. A 2023 journal article cited fetal mortality rates as high as 90% in abdominal pregnancies, with birth defects in about 20% of survivors.
On August 18, a surgical team successfully delivered a healthy 8-pound (3.6-kilogram) baby boy and removed the large cyst during the same operation. The procedure was harrowing; Lopez lost nearly all her blood but was stabilized with transfusions. "The whole time, I might have seemed calm on the outside, but I was doing nothing but praying on the inside," recalled Andrew Lopez.
Against all odds, both mother and baby recovered beautifully. Ryu, named for a baseball player and a video game character, is now thriving at home with his parents and 18-year-old sister, Kaila. As his first Christmas approaches, Lopez is filled with gratitude. "I do believe in miracles," she said. "God gave us this gift—the best gift ever."
