Doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles are describing as a “medical miracle” a case in which a woman gave birth to a healthy baby boy during the same operation used to remove a 22-pound ovarian tumor.
Experts say the outcome is so rare that several physicians involved say they had never encountered anything like it in their careers.
The patient, 41-year-old Suze Lopez, a nurse from Bakersfield, California, had been preparing for surgery to remove a massive ovarian cyst she had lived with for years. As part of standard pre-operative screening earlier this year, she took a routine pregnancy test. To her disbelief, the result was positive.
“I knew that I was pregnant for about five days,” Lopez later said in an interview aired on Good Morning America, explaining that her long-standing ovarian issues made her initially suspect a false result.
Her husband, Andrew Lopez, said the news did not immediately sink in.
“I thought she was joking,” he said. “It didn’t really feel real at first.”
A Diagnosis That Stunned Doctors
Shortly after learning of the pregnancy, Lopez developed abdominal pain and was admitted to Cedars-Sinai, where imaging revealed an extraordinarily rare and dangerous condition: an abdominal ectopic pregnancy.
Dr. John Ozimek, medical director of labor and delivery at Cedars-Sinai, explained that the fetus was growing entirely outside the uterus, positioned behind the massive ovarian tumor.
“The baby was located in the abdomen, behind the mass,” Ozimek said. “That explains why she didn’t know she was pregnant—it appeared the tumor was simply getting bigger.”
According to the hospital, pregnancies that develop so far outside the uterus and continue to full term are “almost unheard of.” Most ectopic pregnancies are not viable and pose serious, often life-threatening risks to the mother.
Dr. Michael Manuel of Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center called the discovery unprecedented.
“In my entire career, I’ve never even heard of one making it this far into pregnancy,” he said.
A High-Risk Operation With No Margin for Error
Faced with the dual challenge of safely delivering the baby and removing the tumor, doctors assembled a multidisciplinary team of about 30 specialists, including maternal-fetal medicine experts, gynecologic oncologists, anesthesiologists, neonatologists, and nurses.
During surgery, physicians carefully lifted the enormous dermoid cyst aside to allow for the delivery of the baby. Once the child was delivered and transferred to the neonatal team, Lopez began to hemorrhage, a known risk in such complex procedures.
Dr. Michael Sanchez, the anesthesiologist on the case, said preparations had been made for that possibility. “Every second matters,” he said. Lopez ultimately required 11 units of blood during the operation.
A Healthy Baby Against All Odds
Despite the risks, the baby—named Ryu Lopez—was born weighing 8 pounds and experienced only minor health challenges. Doctors closely monitored his lung function, a key concern in ectopic pregnancies, but he quickly exceeded expectations.
“Over the course of his two weeks with us, Ryu reached all the benchmarks for surviving well,” said Dr. Sara Dayanim. “He defied the odds.”
Lopez focused on her own recovery so she could reunite with her newborn in the neonatal intensive care unit. She credited nurse Carmen Chavez with supporting her throughout the ordeal, calling her a “guardian angel.”
Context: A Rare Exception
Medical experts stress that this case is a rare exception. According to medical literature, including guidance cited by the Journal of the American Medical Association, ectopic pregnancies are typically not viable and can be fatal if untreated. The American Academy of Family Physicians reports that ruptured ectopic pregnancies account for about 2.7% of pregnancy-related deaths.
Abdominal ectopic pregnancies are the only type in which fetal survival to term is occasionally possible, but they remain extremely dangerous.
For the Lopez family, the outcome has reshaped their perspective.
“Miracles happen,” Andrew Lopez said. “And this was one of them.”
Suze Lopez echoed that sentiment, describing the experience as life-changing.
“Every day is a gift,” she said. “This is proof that modern-day miracles do happen.”
