May 13 2008
Female Differences in Chronic Pain
Do men and women feel pain the same? No. It has been found that women have distinct differences when it comes to chronic pain issues.
General Differences
Women on average are the ones that report more recurrent pain, more severe pain, and longer lasting pain than their male counterparts. They will show signs of having a lower pain threshold (the point where you actually begin to feel the pain) and a lower pain tolerance (the point where you cease to tolerate the pain).
Prevalence on Females
Women have a higher prevalence of some chronic pain conditions. These conditions are rheumatoid arthritis (RA), migraine headaches, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), interstitial cystitis (IC), fibromyalgia, and Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ). Men typically showed a higher prevalence of gout, cluster headaches, coronary heart disease, and ankylosing spondylitis.
Why the Prevalence?
Why women feel more pain longer, stronger, and at a lower threshold seems tied to changes in sex hormones. These sex hormones are found to moderate pain and because of a woman’s pregnancy and menstruation can put them at a disadvantage for pain issues.
They have a different response to drugs in regards to their side effects.
They also have psychosocial and emotional influences (like anxiety and depression) that can cause pain issues for them.
