Female hernias are often missed and misdiagnosed

Because only 8 percent of all hernia patients are women, there are only a tiny handful of specialists who focus on the occurrence and treatment of female hernias. In addition to being the Western United States' only surgeon specializing in the treatment of abdominal wall hernias, Dr. Shirin Towfigh of the Beverly Hills Hernia Center is one of the these hernia surgeons who devotes much of her time to the study and treatment of hernias in women. As a women's hernia specialist, she has identified several reasons why these hernias are often missed and misdiagnosed by other doctors who often don't know what to look for when women describe abdominal or groin pain. Here are the three biggest reasons:

1. Hernias are Still Considered a Male Problem – Perhaps the main reason why hernias in women are often missed is that many primary care physicians wrongly assume that only their male patients get hernias. Put simply, they can't find what they are not looking for. This general lack of awareness for female hernia sufferers is one of the reasons why Dr. Towfigh is also active in educating peers and patients about the realities of female hernia treatment. She regularly stresses the importance of carefully listening to each patient as they describe their symptoms.
2. Female Hernias Can Be Less Externally Visible – One of the less discussed difficulties of female hernia diagnosis is that they often do not result in as big of an external bulge as a typical male hernia. While some doctors will not pursue the possibility of a hernia in female patients if there is not an external bulge, Dr. Towfigh has often ordered ultrasounds that have been successful in detecting an otherwise invisible hernia in some of her female patients.
3. Female Pain is Often Attributed to Other Factors – According to Dr. Towfigh, "In women you have ovaries, you have a uterus, they can have fibroids, many have had C-sections… all of that can complicate a diagnosis." Many doctors who do not listen to their patients as closely as Dr. Towfigh will often misdiagnose hernia pain as pain from any of these female-specific factors. By educating other doctors and patients about these realities, Dr. Towfigh hopes to lift the veil over female hernias so that every woman suffering from a hernia can get the correct diagnosis they need to pursue care.