Study details

For the study, researchers asked 245 people who had experienced some sort of traumatic injury to rate their level of pain. Most participants had suffered a traumatic injury from a car accident.

While men and women had roughly the same pain severity the day the injury occurred, men saw their pain resolve much quicker over a period of almost three months than women, the study found.

Blood tests also determined that the men in the study had higher levels of a molecule called interleukin-10, which switches off pain signals coming from the brain. According to Geoffroy Laumet, an associate professor of physiology at Michigan State University and coauthor of the study, testosterone led to increased production of interleukin-10 from white blood cells.

The researchers confirmed this finding in mice. They gave mice injections to stimulate an inflammatory response and afterwards, they saw the male mice showing signs of their pain resolving while the female mice didn't. Male mice also recovered faster from a small surgical incision and from being restrained within a tube for two hours, which was a scenario designed to mimic the physical and emotional stress of a car accident.

Discussion

Laumet said the study shows "the difference in pain between men and women has a biological basis. It's not in your head, and you're not soft. It's in your immune system."

Ann Gregus, an assistant professor at Virginia Tech University who studies ways to treat chronic pain, said the study's findings underscore the need to take women's pain seriously.

"A lot of women are taught to hide their pain, because then, if they don't, people will perceive that they can't do their jobs, that they can't take care of their families," Gregus said.

Gregus added that the new research likely reflects evolutionary differences between men and women.

"It's building upon a series of studies that have been done to show that men tend to use their innate immune system more effectively than women," she said.

In the future, Laumet said the study's findings could be used to develop new treatments for chronic pain in women, including testosterone patches. Topical treatments like these tend to come with fewer side effects than systemic drugs, he added.

"Future researchers can build on this work," Laumet said. "This opens new avenues for non-opioid therapies aimed at preventing chronic pain before it's established."

Advisory Board's women's health resources

To help you address issues related to women's health, Advisory Board offers a  library of resources which includes:

Trends in women's health

We have several resources on the top drivers of change in the maternal and reproductive health market, as well as the outlook for the women's health service line.

These ready-to-use-slides can also help you understand the trends impacting maternal and reproductive care and how they will impact cross-industry stakeholders.

How to improve women's health

To learn more about ways to improve women's health in the United States, this  report outlines six key factors to take into consideration, including the roles of various healthcare stakeholders and the importance of cross-industry collaboration.

For resources related specifically to maternity care, this  research brief explains how Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocol for C-sections can reduce patient length of stay for obstetrics, which can help with capacity constraints. In this  white paper, we offer key tactics for launching a successful midwifery program and explain how to overcome common implementation challenges.

This  expert commentary  also outlines ways healthcare stakeholders can reduce maternity care deserts and improve pregnancy outcomes. Some examples include expanding outreach with mobile units/satellite clinics and using digital health to close gaps in maternity care. In addition, this insight details on how health plans are taking steps to drive better outcomes for pregnant people.