Woman with eight-year ‘pregnancy’ declines surgery, cites spiritual advice

The purported pregnancy of a middle-aged woman, Janet Dada, has stirred debates on the spirituality of life and medical propositions.

Dada, a resident of Ikirin, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Osun State, claimed she had been carrying the pregnancy for eight years.

According to her, she conceived in 2016 after she suffered a miscarriage, noting that she has yet to be delivered of the baby since then.

Dada, who spoke to a local TV station, WNTV, monitored by Saturday PUNCH, said various ultrasound scans revealed she was not carrying a baby.

“Each time I visited the hospital for scans, they always told me I was carrying fluid, not a baby,” Dada said.

But from various spiritual consultations, she believed she was carrying a baby.

She said, “In every spiritual place we went for consultation, they told us I am carrying a baby, but scans didn’t show the baby. Since then, we have been going from one place to another till now.”

However, a group of netizens operating an X account named ‘Inside Osogbo’ sought free medical help for Dada.

The netizens posted, “Call for help: Mrs. Janet Dada is a middle-aged woman who has been carrying a ‘pregnancy’ for nearly eight years. The emotional and physical pain along with the daily stigmatisation has become unbearable.

 “We are making an open call on behalf of Mrs Janet Dada to relevant agencies, organisations and individuals, to assist in finding a solution. Your prayers, kindness, and any assistance will go a long way.”

On November 3, the netizens reported that the woman turned down free surgery offered by a group of doctors on the grounds that her religious leaders warned her not to undertake a caesarean section.

“A team of doctors recently reached out to the family of Mrs Janet Dada to undertake a surgery pro-bono on the woman, and the offer was turned down by the husband, who claimed that their religious leaders had instructed them not to undertake any surgery,” @InsideOsogbo tweeted.

Commenting on Dada’s claim, a consultant obstetrician/gynecologist, Dr Oluseyi Atanda, said it was not possible for any woman to carry a pregnancy for a year, not to talk of eight years.

According to Atanda, some women normally misconstrue fibroid with pregnancy, insisting that no pregnancy lasts 44 months.

Atanda, who spoke to our correspondent on Thursday, said, “A woman cannot carry a pregnancy for one year. It is not scientifically possible. If a woman says she’s pregnant for 11 or 12 months, it’s likely she had a miscarriage and got pregnant again immediately.

“Pregnancy doesn’t go beyond 44 weeks. The placenta, which supplies nutrients to the baby, is programmed to die after 43 weeks. That is why some women may lose pregnancy at 43 or 44 weeks.

“I have seen cases where women believe they’re pregnant, but scans show no pregnancy, only fibroids. It’s a mental health problem.”

Atanda advised the woman to submit herself to medical examination and help.

Speaking in the same line, the immediate past general manager of the Osun State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System, Dr Segun Babatunde, encouraged the woman to listen to medical advice, noting that her condition required medical examination and not spiritual consultation.

“The woman is being deceived by her spiritual leaders. No woman can carry a pregnancy for 11 months. That she has been pregnant for eight years is not true, speaking from a medical point of view. I will encourage her to accept medical help. Her spiritual leaders may be deceiving her,” said Babatunde.

A renowned Ifa priest, Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon, said a woman could carry a pregnancy for up to three years against a scientific proposition.

He said, “A woman can carry a pregnancy for up to three years if she is under a spell, but eight years is extremely late. Former Ogun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun, recently disclosed that he was in his mother’s womb for over three years before he was born. That is possible. But eight years is something else.

“When a pregnant woman is under a spell, resulting in a longer period of her pregnancy, the solution is to take spiritual steps. A pregnant woman under a spell will carry the baby in her womb, but the baby may not be active. In some cases, it will appear that the woman is not carrying a baby.

“The baby will not die; he will be developing in the womb. Some of them would have grown teeth before their birth. That is God for you.”

Elebuibon advised the woman to seek a spiritual solution if she was sure that she had a baby in her or go for a cesarean section if she was carrying just liquid.