Scientists have studied the mummy of a teenage mother pregnant with twins, found in Egypt: they discovered “fetus decapitation”. PHOTO

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Scientists have examined the mummy of a teenage girl pregnant with twins who died during childbirth in ancient Egypt. They found out that the head of the child, who was born first, was stuck in the birth canal. This led to the death of both babies and the mother.

In a study published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, scientists re-examined the mummified remains of a teenage mother who died during childbirth more than 1,500 years ago. They established that she was between 14 and 17 years old, writes Arkeonews.

The mummy of a teenage mother was found in the Egyptian city of Kharga at the El-Baghawat cemetery in 1908. Her body was covered with “a large amount of salt” – this is the ancient Egyptian practice of drying the dead. The mummy is dated to the Late Dynasty period in ancient Egyptian history, spanning 404-343 BC.

Contemporary records indicate that a fetus and placenta were found between the legs of a woman in labor. The researchers concluded that the woman died of complications during childbirth.

A teenage woman died of complications during childbirth

After more than a century, a team of scientists from George Washington University returned to the study of the mummy. Scientists set themselves the task of finding out exactly what could have gone wrong during childbirth.

The researchers were shocked that the baby, which was lying between the legs of the woman, was missing its head. During a detailed study, they concluded that “the child’s head was stuck in the mother’s pelvis and separated from the body during childbirth.”

The most likely explanation for this, according to scientists, is that the child was born with his feet forward. This made it difficult for her to pass through the birth canal and could lead to “traumatic beheading of the fetus.”

Researchers found a fetus and a placenta between the legs of a woman in labor

“The cause of death was identified as the child’s head being trapped in the birth canal as a result of breech presentation of the fetus during childbirth“, the scientists conclude.

Using computer tomography (CT) of the body, researchers discovered a second fetus in the woman’s chest cavity. The scientists concluded that the embalmers did not know that the woman was pregnant with twins and did not remove the second fetus before mummification.

When the mummy naturally disintegrated, the second unborn child likely could have moved from the mother’s womb into the chest cavity, archaeologists say.

Researchers discovered a second fetus in the woman’s chest cavity. All images: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology

This study of a mummy of a mother and her children confirms how dangerous pregnancy and childbirth were at that time. The story of this young mother and her unborn twins is a tragic reminder of the difficulties ancient women faced during childbirth, the study authors add.

Texts from that era show that the ancient Egyptians took measures to prevent the birth of twins through incantations and rituals because they feared complications.

“We will make her conceive male children and female children. We will protect her from the birth of Horus, from wrong childbirth and from the birth of twins“, says a spell found on an ancient papyrus.

Read also: Scientists discovered the oldest teratoma in a woman from an ancient Egyptian tomb

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