London, Feb 18 (IANS): Doctors in Brazil have removed a 44-year-old foetus from an 84-year-old woman.

It was discovered when the woman's intense stomach pains landed her in a hospital in Tocantins state in Brazil.

Subsequent examinations revealed a 'stone baby', reported Daily Mail.

A 'stone baby' is a rare phenomenon in which the foetus grows and then dies outside of the uterus.

With the body unable to rid itself of it, the dead foetus is instead covered in calcium as a means of protection, resulting in the “stone baby”.

The woman reportedly told doctors that she became pregnant more than 40 years ago but suffered pain during the pregnancy, and visited a healer for help.

After taking what he had given her, “her stomach didn’t grow any more, the baby stopped moving, and she thought it had been aborted”, a gynaecologist at the hospital was quoted as saying.

The gynaecologist said X-rays revealed “the face, the bones of the arms, of the legs, the ribs, and the spine” of the foetus, which is believed to have died at between 20 and 28 weeks.

The woman reportedly told doctors she did not want the foetus removed.