Doctors find potato growing inside Colombian woman, apparently used as a contraceptive

COLOMBIA (WITI) -- “My mom told me that if I didn’t want to get pregnant, I should put a potato up there, and I believed her,” the woman said.

And that's just what the woman did!

According to Colombia Reports, the 22-year-old woman sought medical attention after experiencing abdominal pains, and medical staff discovered a potato growing inside the young woman.

The woman apparently had the potato inside her body for about two weeks before she began to experience abdominal pains. The potato had germinated, and grew roots inside her body.

Initially, the nurse who examined the woman thought the ordeal was a bizarre practical joke after seeing the roots emerging from the woman.

The potato was removed without surgery and the woman is said to have no lasting side effects.

Medical staff said it’s concerning for such bad advice to be given to a young woman. In Colombia, many have rejected conventional contraception methods like condoms and pills. Additionally, parents object to having sexual education taught in schools.

The Ministry of Education and sociologist Maria Eugenia Rosselli said what further perpetuates the problem is that young people feel they cannot freely discuss sex with their parents. This has created high numbers of unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases — and in this case, a bizarre encounter with a vegetable.

CLICK HERE for more on this story via Colombia Reports.