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HONDA, Columbia — Doctors in the Central Colombian town of Honda believe they have determined why a potato was found growing inside a local woman’s vagina.

According to Colombia Reports, the 22-year-old patient, who asked not to be identified, came in to a hospital complaining of abdominal pains. After doctors discovered a potato inside her, the woman explained that her mother had told her to use it as a means of preventing 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.

The potato had germinated and grown roots inside of the woman, the site reported.

Initially, the nurse who examined the woman thought the ordeal was a practical joke. But the tuber was eventually removed without surgery. The woman was expected to be fine.

Many Colombians reject conventional contraception methods such as condoms and pills. A majority of parents object to having sex education taught in schools, saying it encourages homosexuality and other behaviors they don’t like, the site reported.

Read more at Colombia Reports