As a surgeon, I have often marveled at the wonders of God’s creation of man. Nature has given men more robust bodies, strong bones, and well-developed muscles, as well as more social responsibility and stress, and an enlarged prostate.
As a hernia surgeon, today I will also talk about a common condition in the hidden parts of men – inguinal hernia. It is important to know that the incidence of inguinal hernia in men is 8-20 times higher than in women, and nearly 1/3 of men will have an inguinal hernia in their lifetime, compared to only 3% of women.
(Diagram of inguinal hernia)
Why do inguinal hernias occur more often in men?
For some reason, God made men’s genitals outside their bellies, and yes, they are the “penis and balls”.
During fetal growth and development, the testicles, which were originally located in the abdominal cavity, eventually descend to the bottom of the scrotum, and this descending channel is the inguinal canal, through which the hernia also protrudes.
(Diagram of the descent of the testes)
Secondly, due to hormonal and other reasons, the skin loosens earlier in men than in women. This is actually a change in the metabolism of the body’s connective tissue, which also leads to a high incidence of inguinal hernias in older men.
Does inguinal hernia in men have an effect on fertility?
Inguinal hernia can indeed cause fertility disorders in men. We know that most inguinal hernias protrude from the inguinal canal.
This narrow “tunnel” contains the blood vessels of the testicles, nerves, and vas deferens. Prolonged compression of the blood vessels by the hernia can affect the development of the testes and their ability to produce sperm.
(Inguinal hernia compressing testicular blood vessels)
A large scrotal hernia in direct contact with the testes can also affect the spermatogenic function of the testes due to the increase in scrotal temperature.
Can an inguinal hernia affect my sex life?
Before answering this question, let’s look at how big an inguinal hernia can be.
(inguinal hernias this big, this big, this big)
In the early stage of inguinal hernia, the hernia protrudes with mild soreness and pain when the air is held with force; as the disease develops with a little activity or even standing, it will appear, which then affects mobility and quality of life, and often also affects the function of the digestive and urinary systems; later on, the inguinal hernia continues to protrude and cannot be retracted, and then the quality of life will be very poor.
(Ingrowth and strangulation of the hernia)
The greatest risk of inguinal hernia is acute impaction, which is often seen during sudden coughing, sneezing or straining.
Many patients have the experience of being entangled in a sea of love and wandering into sex when the hernia gets stuck and has to be stopped. This also causes sexual dysfunction in the long run.
(Minimally invasive open surgery for pediatric inguinal hernia)
Inguinal hernia is a common disease in men. The cause is just a small defect in the abdominal wall, but it causes a significant decrease in quality of life and labor capacity, which in turn affects digestive, urinary, cardiopulmonary, reproductive functions and sexual life.
With the development of medical technology, inguinal hernias can be cured with same-day surgery and you can go home the same day.