Now, if the twin dies later in pregnancy (after about 12-15 weeks), the body takes a different approach. This is where it gets visually wild.
The deceased twin gets compressed into a thin, flat shape. It looks like paper mâché. Doctors call this a fetus papyraceus.
Imagine your twin turning into a cardboard cutout of themselves. They just hang out in the womb, a silent, flattened passenger. It's morbid, but also kind of funny in a dark way.
Meet the Mummified Twin
In some rare cases, the twin doesn't flatten. It just dries out. This is called a lithopedion, or "stone baby."
The body, being a clever landlord, calcifies the dead tissue. It wraps it in calcium, turning it into a tiny, human-shaped rock. Think of it as the world's most personal geode.
This can hang out in the abdomen for decades. Some women walk around with a "stone twin" for 40 years and only find it during an X-ray for a backache. Surprise! You're carrying a fossil.
What Happens When One Twin Dies In The Second Trimester – LMKTZU
