Though hernias can also occur after surgery, inguinal hernias are by far the most common type of hernia. This is the hernia in which a weak point in the abdominal muscles allows internal organs to bulge out of the abdominal cavity. Although anyone can get a hernia, there are certain at-risk groups that are more likely. Men are nine times more likely to get a hernia than women. Men between the ages of 40 and 59 are particularly at risk of hernia. People who regularly do heavy lifting, like weightlifters and manual laborers are also at increased risk. Although women are at a lower risk of hernia, you should still know the categories of women who most often get them: Taller women Women with chronic cough Pregnant or obese women who may get an umbilical hernia "Femoral hernias" tend to cause bowel blockage in women. Surprisingly, obese and overweight men are not at risk of inguinal hernia. This may be due to a sedentary lifestyle that avoids heavy lifting. Tobacco and alcohol use also have no effect on inguinal hernias. Inguinal hernias present as a bulge in the groin that gets worse when straining. Activities that can worsen the bulge include constipation, lifting heavy objects, manual labor, or coughing and sneezing. This bulge is actually the organs in your abdomen poking out through weakened muscle tissue. Usually, you can manually push them back into the abdomen by applying pressure. Trouble starts when you can no longer "reduce" the hernia or push it back behind the abdominal muscles. Other symptoms of hernia include: Pain that can be described as pulling, tugging, or burning. It can feel worse after physical activity. Pain relief when lying on your back, when organs are restored to their rightful place. Possible gurgling sound when bowels are in the hernia. Rigid bulge: If you can't push the hernia back in, the bowels may have become trapped, or "incarcerated." Incarcerated hernias require emergency medical care. To diagnose a hernia, the doctor will first look for a bulging area about the size of a golf ball in the groin, next to the hip bone. He'll have you lay back to see if the bulge recedes on its own when you lay down. He may manipulate the bulge manually to see if the hernia can be pushed back behind the abdominal wall. If the intestine is present in the hernia, the doctor will be able to hear gurgling with a stethoscope. With male patients, the doctor may try to feel the hernia from below to confirm its presence. He will press a gloved finger up through the loose scrotal sac. Then, he'll ask you to cough or bear down like you're making a bowel movement. If you have a hernia, he will feel it hitting his finger firmly. The doctor will check both sides of the scrotum to be confident in the diagnosis. In the majority of cases, the doctor will be able to diagnose a hernia through a simple physical exam. In some cases, though, the hernia may be difficult to diagnose. If he's not confident in his diagnosis, the doctor may order an ultrasound that will visually confirm the hernia. The procedure is relatively cheap and non-invasive. If you have a small, asymptomatic hernia, the doctor may just send you home with instructions on how to monitor the hernia's status. In most cases, the hernias resolve on their own without surgery. If you observe worsening symptoms, you may need to get surgery. Surgery is recommended for patients with large hernias that present with multiple symptoms. People who have recurrent hernias after an initial surgical repair also need surgery. Pregnant women and women who've previously given birth are at higher risk for recurrent hernias. Incarcerated hernias are a surgical emergency and need immediate attention. When this happens, the bowel gets blocked and strangulated, cutting off blood flow.
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One-sentence summary -- Determine whether you're at risk. Learn the risk factors for women. Take note of common misconceptions about risk factors. Look for the symptoms of an inguinal hernia. Get a physical examination from a doctor. Allow the doctor to examine the hernia through the scrotal sac. Have an ultrasound done if necessary. Discuss your options with your doctor.

Article: Interrogatories are a chance for either party to a lawsuit to get information from the other party by asking questions. However, there are some limits to what can be done with interrogatories, and if your opponent goes too far, don't be afraid to raise an objection. If you are working with an attorney, he will probably point out the objections first. But if you have concerns, ask him about it. Each interrogatory is supposed to ask only one question. If the interrogatory raises multiple questions in one, this may be grounds to object. An example of an impermissibly compound objection would be, "Name each person who was present at the accident, and for each person describe what he or she saw, give that person's address and work experience, and provide a history of the repairs that you have had done on the car." If possible, interpret each question in a way that can be answered. But if, no matter how you try, you cannot make sense of a question or find a way to give a specific answer, then object. For example, if the question asks, "When did he do it?" without any more specification, you need to object because you cannot be expect to know who "he" is or what "it" is. For example, if a question asks, "What did the passenger in your car say when you ran through the red light?" is objectionable if it is not clear that you did run through the light. Interrogatories must ask questions that are, at the very least, relevant to the case. Any question that asks for too much detail that goes beyond the scope of the lawsuit is objectionable. For example, if you are in a contract dispute case regarding a specific purchase, and you are given an interrogatory that says, "Please identify your annual income for the past three years and provide copies of tax returns," this would be objectionable. Your income probably has nothing to do with the contract in question. If you are represented by an attorney, then he or she, in fact, will be the one who is technically making the objections. Your role is to provide answers to questions. The attorney's role is to make legal objections.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Object when you need to. Dispute questions that are impermissibly compound. Contest questions that are vague, ambiguous or unintelligible. Challenge questions that assume facts that are not proven. Object to questions that are not reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of relevant, admissible evidence. Ask your attorney about any objections that you consider.