Surgeons’ opinions on abdominal hernia repair in women of childbearing age are quite variable, a small survey shows.

Some 21 surgeons from the state of Michigan, US, were presented with a clinical vignette featuring a 25-year-old woman seeking elective repair of a symptomatic 2cm umbilical hernia. They were then then asked how they would approach the case.

The surgeons fell into three groups: those who did not consider childbearing to be a factor; those who suggested delaying until childbearing was done; and those who would discuss benefits and risks, and come up with a plan based on patient preference, the authors reported in JAMA Surgery.

When surgeons did not specifically address the woman’s age in their answers, interviewers followed up, asking whether it made a difference that the woman was of childbearing age.