My husband needs hernia surgery. can this cause infertility since we are trying to conceive?

Depends: It depends on the type of hernia he has and any complications from that. In general hernias do not affect fertility but it could be possible if he has a complex hernia.

Highly unlikely.: There is no direct connection between infertility and inguinal hernias, although these two are sometimes associated. Ironically, there is a small but defined risk of infertility associated with hernia repairs due to trauma to the tube that carries sperm.