How Men and Women Process Pain Differently

Pain perception: Gender differences

There is no argument that men and women think differently. This may have basis in our evolutionary roots which indicate that men and women’s brains are wired differently. Perhaps men are from Mars and women are from Venus after all as researchers in brain science are still attempting to unravel the mystery between male and female thought processes.

With technological advances in science, we may someday understand the inner workings of the brain that differentiate thought between the sexes.

The perception of pain 

Research has indicated that not only do men and women think differently, but the way they experience pain is contrary, possibly because of a difference between their pain-sensing nerve cell reactions (different neural pathways). 

It has also been found that a woman experiences more pain than a man given the same painful stimuli, be that acute or chronic pain. Katherine Martuccci, a neuroscientist  at Duke University of Medicine in North Carolina, notes that, “There is no debate about it. They’re seeing differences in the cells,” adding that research findings may allow researchers, “to come up with drugs that would specifically treat male or female patients.”

Nociceptors: The body’s pain sensors

Nociceptors, the nerve cells, serve as the body’s pain sensors and are found in the organs, skin and other points on the body. They can detect dangerous stimuli sending a signal as pain.  Nociceptors in females have been discerned to be more sensitive than ones found in males.   

Using tissue from humans, mice and monkeys, researchers studied prolactin, a hormone, and orexin B, a neurotransmitter that affects a nerve cells’ reaction to pain. In all case studies, exposure to prolactin in females was more active, similar to orexin B in males.

Gender differences

The attention to pain aids in self-awareness of its sensations is more prevalent in females. One explanation is that a woman’s menstrual cycle, often at an early age, enables them to be in touch with their bodily processes.

This awareness drives women to seek medical attention for illness symptoms sooner, while men tend to seek medical attention later; a possible attribution to gender stereotypes, whereby men are less expressive and remain stoic, not showing pain but rather enduring it.

Men utilize behavioural distraction to deal with pain, whereas women tend to seek social support and engage in positive self-statements, but can be prone to anxiety and depression. A lot is dependent on their psychological constitution; their positive or negative personalities and disposition about themselves and the world.

Prone to trauma

Studies have also found that women who have experienced childhood trauma, either emotional or physical abuse at a young age, experience more chronic pain in adulthood. 

This trauma may affect the almond-sized hypothalamus, in which the most important function is connecting the nervous system to the endocrine system, thus creating and releasing hormones throughout the pituitary gland, thyroid and pancreas, to name a few. This could possibly cause issues such as mental illness which can perpetuate the symptoms of chronic pain and stress.

Age-related

Gender differences vary in response to pain according to age and during the reproductive years. As we age, our pain threshold increases, meaning that more intense signals are required to notify us that something is wrong or that something is affiliated with pain and that injury is possible.

Aging leads to neuron and brain cell connection degradation. Chronic pain sufferers struggle with concentration and memory. In older adults, pain management can be difficult, especially for those dealing with a variety of underlying health conditions.  

The most common sites for pain in the older adult is the back, hip, knees and  other joints, with many experiencing pain at various other points on the body.

Pain assessment may be difficult for this age group since some can’t verbalize their pain, or the degree of that pain. Understanding and communicating this pain will aid in guiding health professionals in deciding appropriate courses of treatment.

Some of the remaining questions about the gender differences in the response to pain will require further research so that sex-specific treatments can be developed.