Do you have an inguinal hernia, and are you afraid to have surgery? Are you worried about everything that recovery entails? Hernia surgery is a relatively simple intervention. However, a poor recovery can complicate it, so everything related to them should be considered.
Deciding what treatment to undergo for a hernia will depend on the doctor; he will be the one who will have to evaluate, according to the complexity of the hernia, what is the ideal way to treat it. In case you opt for the operating room, once the inguinal hernia surgery has been performed, for a complete recovery, it is essential to take into account several considerations. At FastlyHealwe will explain the most important recommendations to you, and we will answer whether I can have intercourse after inguinal hernia surgery.
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What is an inguinal hernia, and how does it manifest?
A hernia is a weakened area, in this case, the groin, through which a portion of the intestine protrudes. This creates a lump or increase in volume that tends to be painful and worsens with coughing or after physical exertion.
The best way to repair it is through surgery, thus avoiding complications such as enlargement or strangulation of the protruding portion of the intestine. This is a reasonably common intervention. The most common symptoms of an inguinal hernia are the following:
- The sensation of pain in the area where the intestinal bulge or protrusion is generated.
- Pain that worsens with physical exercise.
- Increase in volume that appears after coughing consecutively.
All these symptoms must be evaluated by a specialist to give a precise diagnosis and also to corroborate if you need surgery before possible complications are generated.
Likely, complementary tests such as ultrasound of the groin region and a computerized tomography will be requested to detect these protrusions and determine their severity.
Recovering from inguinal hernia surgery
The surgical act of inguinal hernias is simple. However, much of the postoperative period will depend on the technique used for the surgery. These can be carried out using two different medical methods:
- Open surgery.
- Laparoscopy.
Every patient who undergoes surgery after an inguinal hernia is to know what is the recovery time after surgery and what it depends on, and what is the appropriate time to wait to start sexual intercourse.
The post-surgical recovery time of an inguinal hernia will initially depend on the type of surgery; in fact, the recovery time is much faster when the hernia repair is by laparoscopy; however, the total recovery will be around 3 and 4 weeks for the patient to get back to his routine finally.
How second will depend on the size of the hernia, larger ones will lengthen the recovery time regardless of the technique used for the surgery.
On the other hand, it is essential to consider certain aspects and habits during the postoperative period that will shorten or lengthen the recovery time. Among these, we find:
- The diet.
- The indicated medications.
- The healing of the wound.
- Physical activities
When can I have sex after an inguinal hernia?
After performing surgery, all patients must take the necessary care when resuming sexual activity. This is critical to the full recovery of the patient.
Medically it is recommended that the time to make love after an inguinal hernia operation is six weeks after the procedure, allowing the patient to fully recover from the surgical act while also avoiding generating any discomfort or painful symptoms.
Sex is one of the complete physical activities. First, the important thing is to perform low-intensity physical activities such as walking to improve physical resistance when starting sexual life again after surgery.
It should be clarified that the specialists will provide individualized recommendations in each case, with groin surgeries the ones that need the most care.
It is likely that when the recovery time has passed, the patient feels they are not prepared to restart sexual life for fear of presenting pain in the area where the surgery was performed; however, under medical supervision and after adequate post-surgical time, sexual abstinence it will no longer be a problem.
Inguinal hernia and sexuality: tips to improve
Here are some tips for the postoperative period of the inguinal hernia operation, something that will help you when it comes to shortening recovery times and being able to maintain relationships earlier:
- Always consider the medical prescription. Maintaining sexual intercourse involves complex movements with the body. When dealing with the inguinal area, the one that should be more careful, the doctor, is the one who must indicate the moment in which to resume sexual activity.
- Refrain from drinking alcohol since it is a vasodilator component that will prevent the wound from healing properly.
- Comfortable positions: apart from having met the recovery time indicated by the doctor, it is essential that the initial phases when resuming sexual intercourse are as relaxing as possible and comfortable for the person so that the effort required is minimal.
It is significant to take into account that everything will depend on the type of hernia, the surgical technique used, and the postoperative care that the patient fulfills; the doctor is the one who will establish the precise time and in an individualized way according to the improvement that the patient takes after surgery to start sex life again.
This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.
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I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.