The deep inguinal ring is the entrance to the inguinal canal. It transmits the spermatic cord in the male and the round ligament of the uterus in the female.
It is bounded, above and laterally, by the arched lower margin of the transversalis fascia; below and medially, by the inferior epigastric vessels. The surface marking of the deep inguinal ring is classically described as immediately above the midpoint of the inguinal ligament (midway between the anterior superior iliac spine and the pubic tubercle).