An enzyme inhibitor that reduces the levels of estrogen could prevent inguinal hernias, or groin hernias, in elderly men, and potentially help men avoid surgery all together, according to a study published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study, led by Serdar Bulun – Turkish doctor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine – showed that when researchers administered a drug compound to reduce estrogen, they saw that it prevented hernias or reduced existing hernias in male mice.

As men age, a larger share of testosterone is converted to estrogen, and this conversion is realized by the enzyme aromatase, the researchers said. The study showed the lower abdomen was particularly sensitive to estrogen, which could explain why hernias develop in aging men.

Elevated levels of estrogen, which come as men age, cause the lower abdominal muscles to weaken and scar the tissue, eventually leading to a hernia.

"It may make sense to treat at-risk men with an aromatase inhibitor that could decrease estrogen and strengthen the muscle," said Bulun.

Bulun said they found the link between hormone levels and hernias accidentally while investigating the effect of high estrogen in female mice.

The treatment could be groundbreaking as preventive therapy, eliminating the need for complex and expensive corrective surgeries. Even though surgery is currently the only treatment option, it can cause multiple postoperative complications, such as infection and pain, and most of the time the hernia comes back, Bulun added.

Inguinal hernias occur when fatty or intestinal tissue protrudes through the abdominal wall, causing swelling, burning and pain in the scrotum or groin area.

Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most common surgeries among men.