Hernias & hEDS/HSD
Why Do I Keep Getting Hernias?
None of us writing this are doctors. This page collects what the published research actually says about hernias in hEDS/HSD, so you have something concrete to bring to a doctor.
A hernia that keeps coming back, or shows up in more than one place, is not just bad luck if you are hypermobile - it is a recognized, documented sign, not a random coincidence.
The Hypermobility Link Behind Recurrent Hernias
A 2023 retrospective study of 327 patients from an Italian reference center, evaluating people with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) or hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD), found multiple abdominal hernias in 9.39% of the cohort. That is not a huge majority, but it is common enough, and specific enough, that abdominal hernia is one of the named minor criteria in the official diagnostic checklist for hEDS - alongside things like varicose veins and uterine or rectal prolapse.
The mechanism is the same one behind most hEDS-related structural issues: connective tissue that provides less consistent structural support, in this case in the abdominal wall, making it more prone to giving way under normal pressure. This study did not test which specific hernia locations (umbilical, inguinal, incisional) are most common in hEDS/HSD specifically, so we cannot break that down further here.
Read more on the hub page
What to do about it
A hernia itself needs a surgical or medical evaluation regardless of the cause - that does not change here. What is worth adding is context: if you have had more than one hernia, or a hernia recurred after repair, mentioning hypermobility or a suspected connective tissue disorder to your surgeon is reasonable, since it may affect how they think about repair approach and healing expectations, even though this specific study did not test surgical outcomes in this population.
Sources referenced on this page