Doctors on Sunday removed a hard-boiled egg from a woman’s vagina after a lovers’ sex game went sour, officials from the Shanghai No. 411 Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army said yesterday.

The woman’s husband said he inserted the peeled egg into his wife’s vagina because he wanted to try something different during sex. But soon after, the woman complained of an unusual sensation in her lower abdomen and the pair decided they should seek help.

The couple, both in their 20s, said they had tried to remove the egg using chopsticks and a spoon. When that failed, the woman tried to free it by jumping up and down.

Dr Guo Xinxin from the hospital’s gynecology department said the couple had taken a big risk.

"Once inside the vagina, which contains a complicated mix of bacteria, the egg will rot," he said.

"Couples must be careful, but if they do have such a problem, they should go to hospital immediately," Guo said.