Does inguinal hernia affect fertility?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by MSc Vo Thien Ngon - Urologist, Vinmec International Hospital Da Nang.
Inguinal hernia is quite common in children. The incidence of inguinal hernia is higher in boys than girls. The cause of this disease is the presence of the peritoneal tubules. Inguinal hernias can be cured if treated early and will not affect fertility. The treatment for inguinal hernia is surgery.

1. What is an inguinal hernia?

1.1. Characteristics of inguinal hernia The disease can occur at any age, the proportion of men is more than that of women. Feeling pain in the groin area, one side of the scrotum enlarges without causing pain and this condition usually happens intermittently. When restricting movement, lying down, there is no longer a feeling of tightness in the groin area and the scrotum decreases. This is easily subjective to the patient, and when the disease is severe, causing pain due to the prolapsed intestine pressing on the organs in the abdominal cavity, the disease has dangerous complications such as strangulated hernia, easily causing bowel necrosis.
1.2. Causes of inguinal hernia Men often suffer from inguinal hernia, because the inguinal region is the point where there is a small slit that was formerly the way for the testicle to drop down to the fixed place of the scrotum. Normally, this line only has blood vessels to pass through to nourish the testicles. But if the hole surrounding the artery isn't closed or is too weak, a piece of intestine can enter and exit the abdomen into the scrotum, called an inguinal hernia.

2. Does inguinal hernia affect fertility?

Currently, there are two different surgical methods to treat inguinal hernias that are applied in the treatment of inguinal hernias: laparoscopic and open surgery.
Open surgery: A surgical method in which the doctor will make a single cut, thereby sealing the hernia and strengthening the abdominal wall. Laparoscopic surgery: This is less invasive but more complicated than open surgery. Accordingly, doctors will make a few small cuts in the area to be operated on, then insert special tools to seal the hernia. With the current technique of inguinal hernia surgery, the patient will have a small incision, located in the lower abdominal crease, so it is aesthetically pleasing. The average hospital stay for inguinal hernia was two days. Surgery for an inguinal hernia is very low risk. However, about 2-4% of cases relapse within 3 years. Besides, there are other potential risks such as: Damage to the vas deferens - the tubes that carry sperm to the testicles, numbness in the groin area...

3. Complications of inguinal hernia

Necrotic Intestinal Obstruction: About 20% of patients may have bowel obstruction at any age but it is common in boys with inguinal hernias and about 60% of ingu postpartum. This is a case where the intestines or the mesentery of the intestines cannot run back into the abdomen, is blocked at the neck of the bag or twisted, leading to lack of blood supply, if not timely surgical intervention, the intestines and mesentery will necrotic. Inguinal hernia is stuck, due to the herniated viscera going down but unable to push up due to sticking to the hernia sac or because the viscera in the bag stick together. Incarcerated inguinal hernias often cause a feeling of entanglement and are more prone to injury. Injury to the hernia mass due to the large and descending mass is relatively frequent, trauma from the outside causes contusion, rupture of internal organs... Digestive disorders, causing growth retardation in cases of inguinal hernia in young children. Inguinal hernia is also a favorable factor causing testicular torsion, testicular atrophy, strangulation of the spermatic cord, causing testicular necrosis.

4. How to detect inguinal hernia early in boys

There is a bulging mass in the groin and scrotum in boys and a large labia majora in girls. This bulge is usually present in infancy and may be present at birth. This bulge enlarges when the baby coughs, cries, runs and jumps and usually goes away on its own when lying still or sleeping. Children are often taken to the doctor in the state of pain, vomiting, and hernia mass that cannot be raised.

Squeeze in the area of ​​the inguinal canal - scrotum to find the hernia sac: Feel the hernia sac, ask the patient to cough, run and jump, the hernia capsule will stretch, enlarge and move along the inguinal canal down to the scrotum. In the hernia sac contains a soft mass, painless manipulation, sometimes heard the sound of air and fluid in the intestinal lumen. The hernia sac can be pushed into the abdomen (inside the hernia sac with the great omentum or intestines or ovaries in girls). Sometimes, the hernia sac cannot be pushed into the abdomen, and the patient has pain in the inguinal canal, accompanied by vomiting, abdominal distention, and dyspepsia because the inguinal hernia is strangled. On clinical examination alone, it can be distinguished from other diseases such as: testicular torsion, epididymitis and testicular inflammation, inflammation of the inguinal-scrotal canal, spermatic cord cyst appearing when the cyst is in a high position, overflowing Testicular fluid, lipomas... are common diseases in the inguinal-scrotal area and must be treated. Vinmec International General Hospital gathers a team of leading doctors, highly skilled and experienced, dedicated to the profession, especially proficient in each complicated surgical step of laparoscopic hernia treatment. children's groin.
Vinmec Health System is equipped with modern and advanced facilities, international standard technical facilities, in addition, it always ensures the close supervision of medical managers, will help the case Laparoscopic surgery for inguinal hernia treatment in children was carried out smoothly and safely. In addition, in the field of surgical surgery, Vinmec possesses a very good level of anesthesia, anesthesia and analgesia, useful for surgery participants such as children.
Laparoscopic surgery to treat children's inguinal hernia is the most advanced surgical method today. This surgery has been applied at Vinmec Times City International General Hospital and now Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital is also ready to perform.
Customers can go directly to Vinmec Times City to visit or contact hotline 0243 9743 556 for support.
Customers can go directly to Vinmec Hai Phong to visit or contact hotline 0225 7309 888 for support.