Women's pain last longer than men's. A study offers an explanation.
NBC News • • general
Key Points:
- A new study published in Science Immunology suggests that men’s immune systems may better shut off pain due to higher testosterone levels, offering a biological explanation for why women often experience longer-lasting chronic pain after injuries.
- Researchers found that men produce more interleukin-10, a molecule that switches off pain signals, which was confirmed in both human trauma patients and mouse models.
- The study challenges past misconceptions that women exaggerate pain and emphasizes the need to take women's pain seriously, highlighting social pressures that may cause women to hide their pain.
- Experts note that while these findings explain some differences in pain resolution after trauma, chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia may involve other mechanisms, and both men and women can suffer from long-lasting pain.
