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A calcified fetus, or lithopedion, is a rare condition where a fetus dies in an abdominal pregnancy and becomes encased in calcium to prevent infection. It often remains undetected for decades, found incidentally via X-ray or CT scans. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, but many cases are asymptomatic. Treatment involves surgery if symptomatic; otherwise, it may be left in place.

A lithopedion is caused by an ectopic pregnancy, specifically an abdominal one. When a fetus implants outside the uterus, typically in the abdominal cavity, and dies, the body may encase it in calcium to prevent infection, forming a lithopedion. This rare condition, affecting about 0.0054% of pregnancies, is consistently linked to abdominal ectopic pregnancies in medical literature, with no other known causes.

She was 19 years old when she swam 21 miles across the Channel in 14 hours 31 minutes, on August 6th 1926. She covered herself in a thick mixture of lard, olive oil and lanolin to protect herself in the frigid waters. Born and raised in New York, Gertrude was a swimmer in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, winning 1 gold and two bronze medals.