Ask a doctor on the topic of General medicine

Fear of hernia

March 13, 2015 | 15,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med Ralf von Seckendorff

Hello,

I have been able to observe something strange with me for some time now. First of all, I am female, 34 years old, and weigh 58 kg. I am not pregnant, not on any medication.
When I lie on my back, I can feel and even see strong movements in my intestines. It is always in the same spot, specifically on the lower right side. It is located on the side below the navel, possibly at the level of the ovary. It is only on the right side. I can feel strong rumbling and gurgling, it feels like air is snaking through. And I can often see how the abdominal wall bulges up at that spot. It may be as big as an egg. When I move or turn to the right or left, the bulge disappears, sometimes on its own. I have no pain, and when it is strong, I have noticed that I usually have a bowel movement within about 30 minutes.
I mentioned it to the doctor once, but she didn't even look at it, just said that the small intestine runs into the large intestine and that I have irritable bowel syndrome anyway.
Because I am very anxious, I now imagine I might have a hernia there. But I read that women can only have femoral hernias, and you would see a lump below the groin. Oh, I do not have it when standing up, and I can cough and strain without a lump appearing. It only happens in connection with the noticeable movement. I hope you can reassure me.

Dr. med Ralf von Seckendorff

Good day, I am happy to help you further.

First of all, women can also get a hernia, but it is much rarer than in men. However, your symptoms do not really suggest a hernia, as you would have to have a bulge there while standing and straining, or your doctor should be able to feel it with a finger while standing. In case of doubt, a surgeon can examine the groin again to be sure, even while standing. Even if it were a hernia, there are very elegant minimally invasive surgical methods for it, but as I said, it doesn't sound like it at first. You may have a slight adhesion in the intestines that is only slightly constricting a loop of the intestine, which is also not a problem as long as everything is still passing through normally.

However, I think it is simply normal intestinal activity that you are observing very closely out of fear and concern. If you do not have severe pain and everything else is normal, for example, no elevated inflammation markers in your blood test, and your stool is not bloody, very watery, or constipated, then it is most likely nothing dangerous.

I wish you all the best and hope I could help calm you down a bit.

Kind regards