This woman’s intrauterine device turned out to be more extrauterine when it eroded through her uterus and wandered into her abdominal cavity, where it remained undetected for over a decade.

Melinda Nichols, from Ohio in the US, had the contraceptive inserted back in 2007, the New York Post reported.

However, when she returned for a follow-up scan to confirm its position, it was nowhere to be seen, with her doctor claiming it had probably just fallen out.

Fast-forward 11 years, and the now 40-year-old underwent an X-ray for a back injury.