Women who are planning for pregnancy commonly have unsettling questions regarding hernias, such as whether women who are pregnant have the risk of developing hernias. Is pregnancy a reason for forming a hernia in a healthy person? Does pregnancy cause hernia? Let’s look into it.
Can Pregnancy Lead to Hernia?
Pregnancy is not a very common risk factor for forming a hernia. Pregnancy causes a stretch of the abdomen. When the abdomen stretches, there can be a chance of weakening of the muscles, but in the majority of cases, a normal, healthy person doesn’t develop a hernia following a normal pregnancy. So does pregnancy cause hernia? Yes, there are certain scenarios where pregnancy can increase the risk of hernia formation, such as:
- When the patient already has an existing small hernia: Especially a belly button hernia. It is a very small defect that the patient does not notice, and if the woman gets pregnant, the pregnancy stretch can increase the size of the defect or the hole, leaving a possibility of a hernia appearing during or after the pregnancy.
- When the patient has had previous abdominal surgery: The scars from an appendix operation or a previous cesarean are potential weak spots where future pregnancies can cause a hernia to form due to the stretch or small rupture of the scar. It can especially happen when the baby’s size is large or if the lady has twin pregnancies.
Does this mean that all patients with a previous scar from an appendix or a cesarean operation will develop a hernia following pregnancy? No, it’s also a very less common scenario.
Management and Preventive Measures
If the woman is really worried that she may develop a hernia following pregnancy and she wants to avoid these challenges during pregnancy, is there a way she can reduce the chance of hernia formation? Of course, yes, there are different ways to manage it, such as:
- Before getting pregnant, good muscle tone is always advisable. Because it can withstand the stretch of pregnancy. So good exercise and having a good abdominal wall tone before planning for pregnancy are definitely beneficial for a safe pregnancy and decreasing the chance of hernia formation.
- A good, high-protein diet starting before planning pregnancy will increase the quality of the muscle and also the quality of the scar tissue.
- If the patient had previous surgery, like an appendix or a cesarean scar, avoiding smoking can decrease the risk of a hernia.
- Avoid obesity if the patient was obese before pregnancy because the abdominal fat itself will cause a lot of stretch and strain on the abdominal wall. In addition to that, the stretch of pregnancy will double the stretch, which leads to the weakening of the scar from previous surgery or even new hernias. Thus, avoiding obesity before pregnancy will help to lessen the chances of developing a hernia following a pregnancy.
If one manages to follow all these precautions, we can decrease the chances of hernia formation following a pregnancy. Pregnancy in a normal, healthy woman is not a risk factor for the formation of a hernia, and one should not be worried about a hernia being formed after getting pregnant. It should not affect your plans to get pregnant.
Have you had a Hernia surgery in the past and are now planning to get pregnant? Read this blog now!
