The ancient Egyptian mummy known as the “Mysterious Lady” has fascinated researchers and the public alike, thanks in large part to viral claims that she was both pregnant and suffering from cancer at the time of her death.
But a new, sweeping study involving experts from nine countries has now laid those theories to rest.
Contrary to earlier headlines, there was no fetus tucked within her abdomen — and no signs of nasopharyngeal cancer either.
Originally believed to be a male priest based on inscriptions on her coffin, the mummy was later identified as a young woman around 20 years old. In 2021, researchers from the Warsaw Mummy Project (WMP) made international waves when they declared that she had been 28 weeks pregnant at the time of death — a potential “first” in Egyptology.
But in a peer-reviewed study published this month in the Journal of Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, an international team led by archaeologist Kamila Braulińska of the University of Warsaw has found no such evidence. Their review of over 1,300 raw CT scan images from 2015 concluded that what had been interpreted as fetal remains was, in fact, embalming material.
The team also dismissed previous claims that the woman had died from a rare form of cancer, noting that damage to her skull was most likely caused during the mummification process — particularly the removal of the brain — and not by disease.
From Mystery to Misinterpretation
The original 2021 claim cited a supposed chemical reaction caused by an acidic, low-oxygen environment in the mummy’s body — one so extreme, it was said to have “pickled” the fetus and dissolved its bones. But the new study roundly rejects that explanation.
“Acids within the human body are insufficient to dissolve bone, especially after a body is embalmed,” the researchers stated.
Radiologist Dr. Łukasz Kownacki, who conducted the original CT scans, said he had always doubted the conclusions drawn by the WMP team. He suggested the researchers may have fallen victim to pareidolia — a psychological tendency to see meaningful patterns in random data.
Braulińska, who co-founded the Warsaw Mummy Project, publicly criticized her former colleagues for announcing such dramatic claims without consulting radiology experts or peer-reviewing their findings through established channels.
She voiced those concerns at the World Congress on Mummy Studies in Bolzano, where she called for an independent review.
One of the strongest voices in the re-evaluation was Prof. Sahar Saleem, a radiologist at Cairo University known for her research on ancient Egyptian royalty, including Tutankhamun. Saleem had previously called the pregnancy theory “unsubstantiated” and again confirmed the absence of fetal remains in the imaging data.
Putting the Story to Rest
The new study, with its multidisciplinary and international backing, aims to close the chapter on years of debate and misinformation.
“This should resolve once and for all the discussion of the first alleged case of pregnancy identified inside an ancient Egyptian mummy, as well as the dispute about the presence of nasopharyngeal cancer,” the researchers wrote.
Though the Mysterious Lady still holds secrets — including her true identity and cause of death — this study brings much-needed clarity to a narrative that spiraled far beyond the evidence.
