Men are significantly more likely than women to develop a hernia, specifically inguinal hernias, which occur in your inner groin. The disparity comes down to a small difference in anatomy that finds 25% of men developing an inguinal hernia at some point in their lifetime, while only 2% of women do.
Understanding hernias
A hernia develops when an organ or tissue bulges through a weak spot in your muscles. Hernias aren’t life-threatening, but they don’t heal or go away on their own. A hernia can develop in many different areas, but the groin area — specifically in the inguinal canal — is the most common.
Treating a hernia involves surgically putting the tissue or organ back in the right place and repairing the weak part of the wall. Minimally invasive laparoscopic repair, a specialty at Rockwall Surgical Specialists, means fewer complications and faster recovery.
Men and inguinal hernia
Inguinal hernias can happen to women, but they’re far more common in men. This is because of men’s different anatomy in the groin area. Men have a small hole in the groin muscles necessary for blood vessels to pass through to their testicles. This slight difference makes men more susceptible to inguinal hernias than women.
Additionally, as men age, the abdominal wall can weaken in the inguinal area, raising the chances of hernia even more. What’s more, women have a few things in their favor when it comes to susceptibility to hernias. Because women need a strong lower abdominal area to hold their uterus in place and carry children, their inguinal area is reinforced with stronger structures that help to keep everything in place.
