An unimaginable way to give birth to boys

A pregnant woman in Pakistan resorted to a hospital because of a nail in her head that was implanted by a "therapist" who assured her that this method guarantees the birth of a male child, according to medical sources.

Doctor Haider Khan, who treated the woman in the hospital, told AFP that she went to the hospital in Peshawar, northwest Pakistan, after she tried to remove the nail herself.

He pointed out that "she was fully conscious, but she was suffering a lot."

An X-ray showed that the screw penetrated the skull five centimeters but did not reach the brain.

The pregnant Pakistani woman said that she is a mother of three daughters and she is pregnant with a fourth, and there are many who are described as traditional healers in Pakistan, amid medical warnings about some of the recipes they provide to people.

Having a boy is often seen as a good omen in South Asia, as it is believed that he is better able than a girl to help his parents secure an income.

"We will arrest the charlatan soon," Peshawar police chief Abbas Ehsan told AFP.

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