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Woman has cyst removed and is stunned to learn it had teeth, hair, and maybe even an eyeball

They're called teratomas, and they are the stuff of nightmares. They're also really misunderstood.

Canva Photos & E.dronism - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Woman lying in hospital bed.

The human body is fascinating and, to this day even, full of mysteries. Did you know there's a condition called Stoneman Syndrome where a person's ligaments slowly transform into bones? Or how about Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome where a person lives their entire life on the brink of orgasm? Or how about Auto-brewery Syndrome, where a person's gut biome naturally creates alcohol out of normal foods and beverages, thereby making them intoxicated without drinking a drop of booze?

The body is capable of extraordinary and extremely bizarre things, that's for sure.

That was certainly the case when 20-year-old Savannah Stuthers went in for a relatively routine cyst removal that turned out to be anything but.

Stuthers dealt with months of cramps, pain, and even bleeding—which doctors told her was normal after having an IUD inserted—before she couldn't take it anymore and took herself to the emergency room.

There, ER docs discovered a sizable cyst on one of her ovaries. Because the cyst was so large, the OBGYN at the hospital wanted to have it removed as soon as possible. Within a few days, Stuthers went under the knife.

When she woke up from the anesthesia, the doctors had news. Her mom was there to capture the moment Stuthers heard that what was removed from her body was no normal ovarian cyst. It was a teratoma—a unique kind of tumor that grows from germ cells (cells that eventually become sperm or, in Stuthers' case, eggs). Because of their origin, teratomas frequently grow hair and even teeth, along with various kinds of tissue. The teratoma inside Stuthers' ovary had all that, and more... The surgeons even thought Stuther's teratoma may have had an eyeball! (Later testing ruled this out... close call!)

Here's the exact moment Savannah Stuthers learned what had been growing inside of her:

teratoma, tumor, cancer, women's health, women, health, hospital, doctor, OBGYN, reproductive health, ovarian cystSavannah Struthers was horrified to learn that her cyst was actually not a cyst at all.www.tiktok.com

Stuthers posted the photo on TikTok where it went mega-viral to the tune of 34 million views. The morbid curiosity in the comment thread was absolutely off the charts. Many people had never heard of teratomas before, and most of them wish they still hadn't.

"Girl I could have went my entire life without looking up what a teratoma is," one wrote.

"I just looked at photos of teratomas and it made my arm get chills," a user added.

"it's crazy the body can actually create new eyes and teeth and THIS is what it chooses to use that ability for," said another.

Other commenters were just here to applaud the teratoma representation:

"this happened to me, they removed my ovary with the teratoma and my surgeous said it burst on her 😩 I was the first surgery of the day"

"this happened to my sister but there were brain cells in hers, causing her anti bodies to fight off both the teratoma braincells as well as her actual braincells putting her in a coma for 4 months. it was awful."

Of course, there were plenty of jokes, too:

"Why am I picturing Mike Wazoski from Monsters Inc???" one user said.

"Can we see it? ❌ Can it see us? ✅" joked another.

Mostly, people just wanted to know if they could see a picture of the actual teratoma. Stuthers did eventually show a photo briefly in a follow up video, but luckily for us, we can get a better look at these things through a plethora of high-res online images.

Ready? If you're squeamish, you might want to look away now.

teratoma, tumor, cancer, women's health, women, health, hospital, doctor, OBGYN, reproductive health, ovarian cystA teratoma with lots and lots of hair growth.Ed Uthman, MD. - Public Domain

Stuthers was not about to let her newfound virality go to waste: She set right to work busting myths and misconceptions about teratomas.

Obviously, with 34 million viewers and many who had never heard of teratomas, she was going to get a lot of questions. She also got a lot of opinions that needed correcting.

"Those things form from sperm so tell your man to get a better pull out game or use protection," one commenter said. In a response video, Stuthers simply wags her finger: Uh, no. Teratomas form from germ cells, which can turn into sperm, but they have nothing at all to do with sexual activity.

Another asked if the teratoma formed from a pregnancy gone wrong in the early stages. "So you would've maybe had a viable pregnancy but it didn't make it down into the uterus." Stuthers responded by citing that teratomas are actually congenital tumors, meaning they are present or begin forming prior to birth. So this was lurking in her body for a long time before it reached critical mass and had to be removed, and again, has nothing to do with her sexual activity whatsoever.

(Sorry, one more photo incoming.)

teratoma, tumor, cancer, women's health, women, health, hospital, doctor, OBGYN, reproductive health, ovarian cystAn ovarian teratoma with a long strand of visible hair.E.dronism - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

In an interview with Newsweek, Stuthers said that discovering the teratoma inside of her made her feel "gross."

"It messed me up for a while thinking about how I never knew that it was there. In a way, it made me feel gross. The photo of the tumor truly altered my brain chemistry," she said. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Teratomas, while admittedly a little freaky and frightening, are really no different than any other kind of tumor. It's their origin from germ cells which makes them capable of growing human tissue, teeth, hair, and eyeball-like structures.

But they're understandably hard to talk about. And so as a result, the general public doesn't understand teratomas very well. But Stuthers is working to change that with her follow-up videos on TikTok.

She also wants to encourage young women to advocate for themselves medically. Doctors dismissed her pain and discomfort for months before she finally went to the ER, and she's urging women to trust their gut and fight for their own bodies:

"I got lucky as we found it in time so nothing too extreme happened. But I can't help but think that if my doctors in Illinois would've listened, I would still have both ovaries. It is so important for women to express our pain and not allow doctors to invalidate us."

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Pop Culture

Woman goes viral for literally steaming from her head due to a hot flash

"This is the realest depiction of a hot flash I’ve seen!"

@mstraceymonique/Instagram

The way she just laughs it off…

Ah, hot flashes. They're the one thing most people know about menopause—but even at that, we don’t really have that much common knowledge about. For instance, did you know that a hot flash can make a woman literally steam from head to toe? Probably not.

And yet, it’s true. The proof? A now viral video showing author and podcaster Tracey Monique sitting in the stands of a football game, eating nachos, and nonchalantly exuding vapors like a fantastical dragon. She even laughs as it’s happening.

“When the flash starts flashin’,” one of her friends can be heard saying behind the camera.

Hot flashes are caused by fluctuating hormone levels, and can feel as though you're suddenly thrust into a sauna. The intense heat can cause sweating, face reddening, and even chills and a rapid heartbeat. In short—it’s not for the faint of heart. And yet, because of the stigma surrounding hot flashes (and menopause in general), so many women are made to feel embarrassed by it or have their symptoms minimized, rather than feeling like badasses for being part of this rather remarkable aspect of the human condition.

This is why the video is resonating with so many people. One, it depicts a rarely seen image of what menopause actually looks like, and two, it helps combat any notion of women being dramatic about symptoms. As a viewer noted, “this is the realest depiction of a hot flash I’ve seen! I’ve saved it so that I can show anyone who even in the very slightest suggests that I’m exaggerating when it happens!”

Another person quipped, “To all husbands out there. When she says she's hot... this is what she means.”

Still another exclaimed, “Finally! Visual evidence of a HOT FLASH!!! Thank you so much for posting this. You have validated millions of women all over the world: menopause symptoms are REAL and they are MISERABLE!”

Similarly, it really shows how little we know about women’s bodies. Like, why does this phenomenon still look so otherworldly and strange in our modern world? More than one viewer commented how if this were the late 1600s, poor Monique would be tried as a witch. And if this one teeny tiny aspect of menopause is still so wildly misunderstood, imagine the rest of it or any other female biological process.

So much of our views on menopause are directly linked with our fears of aging in general. By and large, we see menopause as a disease or marker of inevitable decline, rather than a new chapter of life. Then of course there's the whole tying-a-woman’s-sense-of-self-worth-to-her -ability-to-bear-children thing, which is undoubtedly a prevailing issue. But it’s moments like those that really shift those outdated perspectives, enabling women to feel seen, understood, and hopefully even a little confident in their own strength and resilience.

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Health

Nurse uses kitchen utensils to show what a Pap smear feels like and it's so spot on

There's only one detail missing.

Photo credit: Canva

Pap smears aren't exactly a picnic.

Ah, the Pap smear. Most women's least favorite routine medical procedure, when your doctor uses tools that look like torture devices to take a sample from your cervix to screen for cervical cancer. While the procedure is important (we'll get into why in a moment), it's also a less-than-pleasant experience for reasons that are difficult to explain to someone who's never had one. It's not like you can just show someone a video of the procedure, considering the sensitive nature of it. And the basic description of "Imagine someone prying open one of your private orifices with a cold, pinchy tool and then scraping around in there for a bit," doesn't quite cover it.

A nurse has done the impossible, however, with a video that hilariously depicts what a Pap smear and pelvic exam feel like. Using a padded envelope, a pair of tongs, a whisk, and a pepper grinder, she shows the steps of a Pap smear in a way that everyone who has ever had one can feel while they watch. It's disturbingly accurate, with only one small detail missing.

Watch:

A repost of the video has been shared over 1 million times, with women everywhere howling about the accuracy. The only thing missing? The lubricating jelly. If you know, you know.

"And they basically want you hanging halfway off the table… “scoot down some more?” Ma’am. I’m already in hip thrust position, how much further down can I go?😩😂"

"'Just relax and let your legs fall open.' *as you are clenching and shaking*🥴"

"My body was tense the whole time watching this. I just don’t believe they’ve made any advancements on Pap smears and I don’t understand why!!!! there HAS to be other ways. Somebody lyin!!!"

"💀You forgot the super cold lube. 🥶"

"It was the turn of the tongs that got me. 😂🤣 I felt that."

Commenters also commiserated over the ironic reality of having a doctor be all up close and personal in your business, yet feeling compelled to hide your underwear from them.

"Did we all fold our undies and then IMMEDIATELY hide them because GAWD FORBID they see that whilst canoeing through our lady bits!?"

"All this while your clothes are folded neatly on the chair in the corner of the room with your underwear hidden in your pants."

"You can explore my birth canal but I won’t dare let u catch a glimpse of my panties… girl math. 🤣"

"Then they step out so you can dress … like umm 🙄 you just seen all I had to offer lol."

But the video also prompted some awareness over the importance of cervical cancer screenings. After all, they're not spelunking into your birth canal for nothing.

"Please go for them ladies, my wife has just finished extensive chemo and radiotherapy," shared one commenter. "A smear was the first step in finding the disease. PLEASE, go! So many women put off this vital appointment. 😪"

What happens during a Pap smear? Why is it important?

According to the National Cancer Institute, a Pap smear is "a procedure in which a small brush is used to gently remove cells from the surface of the cervix and the area around it so they can be checked under a microscope for cervical cancer or cell changes that may lead to cervical cancer. A Pap smear may also help find other conditions, such as infections or inflammation."

metal speculumA speculum allows doctors to access the cervix.Photo credit: Canva

However, this description doesn't mention the speculum, which is what's used to hold open the vagina so the doctor can access the cervix. Sometimes metal, sometimes plastic, the speculum is about as comfortable as it looks and the reason many women choose to put off their Pap smear appointments. The procedure only takes a few minutes, though, and it's more uncomfortable than it is painful—definitely worth some temporary discomfort to screen for cancers and other pelvic health problems.

Pap smears are able to detect cervical changes before they become cancerous, which is why they've been the gold standard for cancer screenings. The current recommendation is that anyone with a cervix who's between 21 and 30 years old should get a Pap smear at least once every three years, and 30 to 65-year-olds should get one every five years.

We may not love them, but Pap smears are a part of good health maintenance. Let's just hope that they find screening method that's not quite as uncomfortably invasive in the future.

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