Its effectiveness for both types is particularly important as the study also showed that nearly 45% of the women had femoral hernias, which carry a higher risk of complications.

“The fact that so many of the women had femoral hernias was unexpected and highlights the need to develop effective, safe and accessible methods,” says Alphonsus Matovu, Ph.D. at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet and first author of the article.

Millions of women affected

The results are promising as the new method could be developed into a viable alternative where access to advanced laparoscopic surgery is limited.