This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Medical staff in the central Colombian town of Honda said they were shocked to find a potato growing inside a woman’s vagina.

The 22-year-old unidentified woman sought medical attention after experiencing abdominal pains, according to Colombia Reports.

After medical staff discovered the potato, the woman explained her mother told her to insert it to prevent pregnancy.

“My mom told me that if I didn’t want to get pregnant, I should put a potato up there, and I believed her,” the woman said, according to the report.

The woman said she began to experience abdominal pains after about two weeks of having the potato inside her body.

Officials said the potato had germinated and grew roots inside the young woman.

The nurse who examined the woman said she initially thought the ordeal was a strange joke. She said she saw roots emerging from the woman.

The potato was removed without surgery and the woman is said to have no lasting side effects.

Medical staff said they wonder why such bad advice was given to a young woman.

Many people in Colombia have rejected conventional contraception methods like condoms and pills. Parents also typically object to having sexual education taught in schools.

Read more: WGNtv.com, Colombia Reports