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Surgery will treat your hernia

	A hernia can be uncomfortable and feel tender, especially when you bend and lift. It may make it difficult for you to do normal activities, like shopping or having sex. ConsumerReportsHealth.org can help you find the right surgical treatment options for your hernia.
	Subscribe to ConsumerReportsHealth.org today to help you decide which type of surgery is right for you.

Consumer Reports Health explains the best and most up-to-date expert research and evidence about treating hernias. Our clear and sound advice helps you and your doctor choose the best treatment options.

Key points for people with hernias

• A hernia is a bulge you can see or feel in your groin.
• The bulge is a bit of fat and bowel that has slipped through a weak spot in the muscles in your abdomen and down into your groin.
• An operation is the only treatment for a hernia.
• Surgery gets rid of the bulge and prevents a blocked bowel.
• Between 1 and 5 out of 100 hernias come back; usually within five years of surgery.

Anyone can get a hernia but certain risk factors increase your odds including: being male, older, straining your abdominal muscles through heavy lifting, chronic coughing, constipation, pregnancy, or being overweight. Though surgery is the only way to treat a hernia, there are different types of surgery available to you.

Our in-depth condition report and treatment ratings table will help you and your doctor decide which treatment for hernias is right for you. As a Consumer Reports Health subscriber, we'll also help you sort through the best research and the most effective treatments for over 100 conditions and illnesses that may affect you and your family.