Femoral hernia is far more common in multiparous women than in men. The anatomical basis for this predilection is:
- A The female pelvis is wider, making the femoral canal relatively larger, and repeated pregnancies weaken the canal's fascial attachments ✓
- B The femoral vein is larger in women, dilating the femoral ring
- C Women have a weaker conjoint tendon, allowing direct protrusion into the thigh
- D Raised intra-abdominal pressure during labour forces bowel through the saphenous opening
Correct answer: A. The female pelvis is wider, making the femoral canal relatively larger, and repeated pregnancies weaken the canal's fascial attachments
Explanation
The wider female pelvis means the femoral canal, which lies medial to the femoral vein beneath the inguinal ligament, is proportionately larger, and pregnancy-related stretching of the fascia and ligaments further widens it. Multiparity compounds this. The femoral vein size is not the determinant, the conjoint tendon relates to inguinal rather than femoral herniation, and the saphenous opening is not the hernial passage, the femoral ring is. This explains the classic elderly female demographic.
Reference: Bailey and Love's Short Practice of Surgery, 27th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.