A mother of one who believed a second pregnancy was impossible because of a 22-lb tumor in her uterus was stunned to discover she was carrying a full-term baby.
Suze Lopez, 41, had gone in for routine pre-surgery tests ahead of having the massive tumor removed when she unexpectedly tested positive for pregnancy.
“Because of the large ovarian cyst that had been growing for years, it could have been a false positive, or even ovarian cancer,” said Lopez, a nurse from Bakersfield, California, in a statement released by Cedars-Sinai. “My periods were extremely irregular and I often had abdominal discomfort. After 17 years of praying and trying for a second child, I couldn’t believe I was actually pregnant.”
Just days after learning the news, Lopez experienced severe abdominal pain. Imaging at Cedars-Sinai revealed the extraordinary situation.
“Suze was pregnant, but her uterus was empty, and a massive benign ovarian cyst weighing more than 20 pounds was occupying most of her abdomen,” explained Dr. John Ozimek, medical director of Labor and Delivery. “We later found a nearly full-term baby boy growing in a tiny pocket near her liver, with his bottom resting on the uterus. A pregnancy that far outside the uterus is almost unheard of.”
As the baby grew, he pushed the tumor forward — making it easy for Lopez to assume the mass was simply expanding.
Lopez was diagnosed with an abdominal ectopic pregnancy, a rare condition in which the fetus grows outside the uterus. According to the National Library of Medicine, it carries a high risk of severe complications for both mother and baby.
Gynecological oncologist Dr. Michael Manuel of Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center noted the extraordinary survival of the pregnancy. “In my entire career, I’ve never heard of one progressing this far,” he said.
A team of 30 medical specialists worked together to safely deliver the baby and remove the massive cyst.
“Right after delivery, Lopez began hemorrhaging heavily,” anesthesiologist Dr. Michael Sanchez explained. “We were prepared, but it was still extremely intense. I had already activated a rapid transfusion machine because in situations like this, every second counts. She required 11 units of blood.”
Despite the high-risk circumstances, her baby boy, Ryu Lopez, was born weighing 8 pounds and had minimal health issues.
Although doctors were concerned about his lungs, he was “feisty,” neonatalist Sara Dayanim, MD, said, and within two weeks, “Ryu quickly reached all of the important benchmarks for surviving well. He defied all the odds.”
Suze’s husband, Andrew, said in the statement, “He is our gift. And Ryu and Suze are my miracles … many prayers have been answered.”
And as Suze shared: “I appreciate every little thing. Everything. Every day is a gift and I’m never going to waste it. God gave me this baby so that he could be an example to the world that God exists — that miracles, modern-day miracles, do happen.”
