Why Do Women Feel More Pain Than Men? Findings From Research on Millions of People Across 118 Countries

Islamabad (Qudrat Daily) — A new study based on data from more than 6.1 million people across 118 countries has revealed that women report feeling more pain in various parts of the body compared to men. According to the research, this difference was found in at least 11 parts of the body, including the head, face, neck, shoulders, hands, wrists, elbows, feet, ankles, knees, chest, back, abdomen, and hips.

According to the research published in the medical journal Nature Medicine, back pain was the most common among the participants in the study, recorded at a rate of 40 percent.

The lead author of the study and a researcher at McGill University in Canada, Matt Fillingim, says that the definitive reasons for the higher complaints of pain among women are not yet fully clear; however, a combination of biological and social factors may be behind it.

According to him, possible reasons for this difference include sex hormones, the functioning of the immune system, the way the nervous system perceives pain, mental stress, reproductive health issues, physical exertion during work, access to medical facilities, and differences in the manner of describing symptoms.

Citing some research conducted on animals, he said that the biological mechanisms by which pain is produced and its intensity increases may also differ between men and women. Some experiments have shown that in the case of pain, the immune systems of both sexes may adopt different pathways.

According to Matt Fillingim, the most important finding of the new research was that the difference between women and men in pain complaints existed in all 11 studied parts of the body; however, the magnitude of this difference varied depending on the nature of the pain. This shows that there need not be any single common cause for this difference.

Possible Reasons for Higher Pain Complaints in Women

Dr. Shuchita Garg, an expert associated with the pain treatment department at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in the United States, who was not part of this research, says that biological, hormonal, and psychological and social factors may be at work behind the higher rate of pain in women.

According to her, the difference between women and men may be more prominent in the case of facial and abdominal pain, headaches, and severe symptoms.

Migraine, pain related to the jaw joint, and pain felt in internal organs are among the problems in which this difference is seen more. According to experts, the symptoms of some of these become more prominent during the reproductive years, while puberty and changes in sex hormones can also affect the difference in pain complaints between boys and girls.

Dr. Shuchita Garg also drew attention to the role of the immune system. In some research, neuropathic pain in men has been linked to specific immune cells, while in women it has been linked to T-cell activity. However, these results are largely based on preliminary experiments conducted on animals, and further research is needed to confirm them.

Issues such as severe pain during menstruation, endometriosis, and pain in the pelvic region in women can also play an important role in the overall difference. Similarly, persistent pain felt deep within the body and conditions such as fibromyalgia, in which pain sensitivity increases, are seen more in women.

According to experts, depression, anxiety, traumatic experiences, responsibilities for caring for others, and delays in the diagnosis or treatment of illness can also affect pain complaints and their severity.

Sharp Increase in Pain Complaints Before Age 55

The research also found that in both men and women, the sharpest increase in the rate of musculoskeletal pain occurs between the ages of 20 and 55, while pain complaints overall were seen more in people aged 75 years or older.

Researcher Matt Fillingim clarified that this does not mean that people under 55 feel the most pain, but rather that during this age, the number of people complaining of pain increases more rapidly.

He said that in some conditions such as back, hip, and knee pain, this rate continues to increase into old age.

According to experts, during youth and middle age, various factors begin to accumulate that can later cause an increase in pain complaints. These include physical exertion, injuries, weight gain, metabolic diseases, mental stress, and repeatedly performing the same type of physical movement.

According to Dr. Vernon Williams, a sports and neurology expert associated with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in the United States, by the time many people reach middle age, they have already experienced various injuries, constant physical stress, changes in physical activity, sleep disturbances, and mental stress.

These factors can affect the way the nervous system perceives pain, and sensitivity to pain can increase over time. According to him, the increase in pain complaints before age 55 should be viewed in the context of the combined effects of these factors rather than any single biological process of aging.

Dr. Shuchita Garg says that in measures to prevent pain, special attention should also be given to people aged 20 to 40. It is necessary to adopt a strategy according to each individual’s condition for the treatment of pain, which may include diagnosis of treatable causes, physical activity, psychological treatment, and reduction of risk factors.

Lack of Pain-Related Data in Many Regions of the World

According to the lead author of the research, Matt Fillingim, an important objective of this study is to highlight the need to consider different stages across the lifespan for the prevention and monitoring of pain. He says that if periods of rapid increase in pain complaints are identified in time, preventive measures and treatment during these stages can prove more effective.

However, he warned that reliable data related to pain are not available in various regions of the world. For the research, difficulties were faced in obtaining adequate information from regions with low human development indices, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and certain other underrepresented regions.

According to him, the major reasons for this include the lack of large-scale research studies in these regions, limited resources, inadequate facilities for research, and difficulties in collecting, preserving, and making data available to others.

Matt Fillingim says that investment needs to be increased to collect and maintain quality data related to pain in these regions, because without it, it is difficult to understand why the burden of pain increases at different ages and which methods of prevention or treatment may be more suitable.

Do Not Ignore Persistent Pain, Experts Advise

Experts have warned that if persistent pain is affecting daily life, movement, or the ability to work, then instead of merely enduring it or continuing to suppress it with medication, a medical examination should be done to find out its cause.

According to Dr. Vernon Williams, the effectiveness of treatment depends on the nature of the pain and an accurate diagnosis of its root cause. Treatment should focus on restoring physical movement and activity, while physiotherapy, exercise, behavioral changes, mindfulness exercises, and medications can be included as needed.

He says that persistent pain is certainly a complex problem, but this does not mean it will necessarily persist for a lifetime.

According to Dr. Shuchita Garg, regular exercise helps reduce pain, improve physical performance, and promote overall health. According to her, no single type of exercise is best for everyone; however, making it a part of a consistent routine is important.

She described exercise, cognitive and behavioral therapy, and acceptance and commitment-based psychological therapy as important in the treatment of persistent musculoskeletal pain. According to her, these methods can affect the process of perceiving pain in the nervous system. This certainly does not mean that pain is merely an illusion of the mind.

Experts further said that factors such as sleep, smoking, weight, and emotional state can also affect the severity of pain, so these aspects should also be kept in mind during treatment.

According to them, the goal of treatment should not be merely to completely eliminate pain; rather, improving the patient’s movement, quality of life, daily activities, and ability to work is equally important.