Causes | Inguinal hernia in the woman

Causes

In general, a distinction must be made between the congenital and the acquired form of an inguinal hernia. In the acquired form of an inguinal hernia, the cause of its occurrence is the inability of the connective tissue of the inguinal region to withstand the pressure in the abdominal cavity, often due to a weakness of the connective tissue. In general, women are less prone to the development of an inguinal hernia than men.

This is due to the different anatomical situation of the groin in men and women. The pressures in the abdominal cavity that act on the groin are very high, especially when sneezing or during bowel movements. If women are pregnant, there is also a massive increase in pressure in the abdominal area.

In addition, hormonal influences cause the connective tissue in the abdominal and groin region to become even weaker during pregnancy. More often, however, umbilical hernias instead of inguinal hernias occur during pregnancy. It is therefore not surprising that especially during pregnancy, women often suffer from hernias.

In addition, the constant performance of activities where the pressures in the abdominal cavity are very high can promote the development of an inguinal hernia. In addition to heavy physical activities, the playing of wind instruments is also known to be a risk factor for the development of an inguinal hernia. Also in women, inguinal hernias occur, which are present from birth on.

The cause of these inguinal hernias lies in the faulty development of the child in the womb. An inguinal hernia in women is usually treated surgically. Only in exceptional cases can surgery be dispensed with.Since a hernia does not close by itself and therefore spontaneous healing is almost impossible, surgery is usually the only way to close the defect in the connective tissue permanently.

Since an inguinal hernia can become larger and larger the longer it exists, a timely surgery is recommended. If sections of the intestine are trapped, severe pain can occur. A trapped intestine in a hernia sac is an emergency, which is usually operated on immediately.

With modern surgical techniques, the operation can nowadays be performed without complications and thus serious consequences of an existing inguinal hernia can be sufficiently excluded. There are three different surgical techniques which can be applied depending on the situation. For women, the surgical technique according to Shouldice is often used.

Here, a skin incision is made, the hernia sac, if present, is pushed back into the abdominal cavity and the connective tissue is finally sutured. The most important thing is to take care of the patient for a long time after the operation. Another surgical option is the technique according to Lichtenstein.

Here a net is inserted to prevent the hernia sac from protruding. Since the operation is used especially for large inguinal hernias and these are rather rare in women, this is a less typical surgical technique for a female inguinal hernia. Also, when performing a minimally invasive procedure, a mesh is usually used to prevent the bowel from protruding again.

Since this surgical technique, in contrast to the other techniques presented, can only be performed under general anesthesia, it must be individually assessed whether a minimally invasive procedure is individually the best solution. Especially in pregnant women, general anesthesia is usually avoided if possible. If, for certain reasons, an operation is out of the question, an inguinal hernia can also be treated with a so-called hernia band.

This is particularly suitable for older patients with a high risk of surgery. However, since the inguinal hernia is not repaired by the hernia band, an exclusive supply with a hernia band cannot be recommended for persons without a high surgical risk. However, it is possible that a temporary supply with a hernia band is used if surgery does not seem possible in the near future.