Femoral Hernia

What is a femoral hernia?

A femoral hernia is a rare type of hernia. It develops in your inner upper thigh above the crease in your groin. Females are more likely to have femoral hernias than males.

This hernia type may not cause symptoms. You may learn you have a femoral hernia after a routine physical examination. But femoral hernias can lead to more serious hernia issues. Your healthcare provider may recommend surgery to repair it.

What are the symptoms of a femoral hernia?

You may not have symptoms. If you do, they may include:

• A bulge or lump in your groin or inner upper thigh
• Lower abdominal pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Pain in your groin or upper thigh that may feel like an ache or be sudden and sharp

You may notice your symptoms get worse when you stand for a long time, lift heavy objects or strain to poop or pee.

What causes a femoral hernia?

You can have a femoral hernia if tissue or a piece of intestine pushes through muscles in your lower abdomen. The hernia moves into the femoral canal that contains your femoral artery.

You may be born with a femoral hernia. The hernia may form during fetal development. But most femoral hernias happen when something puts pressure on your lower abdominal muscles. That can happen if you lift or push heavy objects. It may also happen if you:

• Give birth
• Have a chronic cough
• Have obesity
• Receive peritoneal dialysis for kidney disease or kidney failure
• Strain to poop (constipation)

What are the complications of a femoral hernia?

A femoral hernia may get stuck in your femoral canal (incarcerated hernia). Pressure on it can affect blood flow to tissue inside the hernia (strangulated hernia). A strangulated hernia is a medical emergency.

How is a femoral hernia diagnosed?

A healthcare provider will do a physical exam. They’ll ask if the bulge in your groin or upper thigh comes and goes. They may ask if the bulge appears when you do things like straining to poop or lifting heavy objects.

They may do tests to rule out other conditions that cause femoral hernia symptoms. Those tests may include MRI, CT scan or ultrasound. Conditions that may be mistaken for a femoral hernia include:

• Femoral artery aneurysm. This may cause a lump in your groin.
• Hydrocele. Males may have swollen scrotums from fluid filling a sac in their scrotums.
• Inguinal hernia.
• Nuk cyst. This rare condition affects females. It causes a painful swelling in your groin.
• Psoas abscess. This is an abscess in your psoas muscle.
• Swollen lymph nodes in your groin.
• Swollen veins in your scrotum (varicocele).

What are treatments for a femoral hernia?

Treatment is hernia repair surgery. Surgery reduces your risk of complications like an incarcerated or strangulated hernia.

Can femoral hernias be prevented?

Weak lower abdominal muscles increase the risk you’ll have a femoral hernia. Protecting and strengthening those muscles may prevent one. Here are some suggestions:

• Eat well to maintain a weight that’s right for you.
• Get treatment for chronic coughing and sneezing.
• Lift heavy objects with your legs instead of tightening your stomach muscles.
• Manage chronic constipation. Straining to poop puts pressure on your abdominal muscles.
• Strengthen your core.

What can I expect if I have a femoral hernia?

Hernia repair surgery cures a femoral hernia. But you can develop another one. Ask your surgeon if there’s a chance you’ll have another femoral hernia. They may recommend routine follow-up exams. That way, you and your provider can make sure you don’t have another femoral hernia and need more treatment.

When should I seek care?

Talk to your provider if you have a femoral hernia and develop symptoms of an incarcerated hernia. Symptoms may include:

• Nausea or vomiting
• Severe pain in your inner upper thigh or groin
• Swelling at the site of the incarcerated hernia that’s tender to the touch

An incarcerated femoral hernia may become strangulated. That means blood can’t get to the tissue or intestine inside a femoral hernia. A strangulated hernia is a medical emergency. Call 911 (or your local emergency service number) or go to the emergency room if the skin around a femoral hernia turns reddish or darker than usual.