A hernia occurs when tissue from one body cavity bulges through an opening in your muscle wall into another. Inguinal hernias are the most common type of hernia. They happen when abdominal tissue, such as belly fat or a loop of intestines, bulges through an opening in your lower abdominal wall . This is the wall that separates your abdomen from your groin.

Inguinal hernias occur in the inguinal canal, which is a passageway that runs down either side of your pelvis into your sex organs. They're also called groin hernias. (“Inguinal” means “in the groin.”) They're the most common type of groin hernia, though not the only type.