On the island of Manait in Bacacay, Albay lived a 17-year-old Kimberly whom everybody believed to be pregnant with fish. Her tummy had been growing for seven months, with her gaining 10 kilos in that span of time! Her family thought she was hiding a boyfriend but Kimberly defended herself saying she doesn’t even have suitors, what more a boyfriend? Manait holds dearly a superstition: women should not swim in the ocean or even in rivers during their menstruation. In fact, they should wait five days after their monthly period before they could enjoy those activities. Kimberly’s Lola explained on “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” how swimming in the ocean during menstruation can cause ailments. Besides, swimming while on your period may attract sea creatures like fish, octopus, and eel. Kimberly had an ultrasound, where they found a fish-looking entity in her stomach.

Of course it got the village talking and strengthened their belief. But after getting a second opinion, Kimberly found out she actually has an ovarian cyst. Her doctors squashed the town’s belief and said it’s impossible for a human to be carrying a live fish in the womb, or even in the stomach. The cause of the growth of ovarian cysts there are various factors, including one of them is the condition of the body and can also be due to heredity. Other doctors also said that it was impossible for pregnancy to occur from the fertilization process between humans and fish. If the fish goes into the womb, this animal is also unlikely. Because the fallopian tubes, which lead to the ovaries, in women are too small to allow fish to enter. After a medical examination, Kimberly underwent surgery to remove the cyst at a local hospital for free. Post-surgery after cyst removal, the patient requires ongoing care and treatment so that the cyst does not grow again. According to a study, humans and zebrafish share 70 percent of the same genes.