Anyone who can tolerate the agony of childbirth must have a high tolerance for pain, right?
Wrong. It turns out that women do not have a higher threshold for pain than men, a study finds.
In fact, women are more likely to suffer from chronic pain and are less likely to receive treatment for that pain due to cultural, economic and political barriers, the Daily Mail reported Monday.
Different hormones, body compositions and central nervous systems means women are more susceptible to painful conditions such as migraines, irritable bowel syndrome and arthritis, according to researchers speaking at a conference for the International Association for the Study of Pain in Glasgow, Scotland.
"Chronic pain affects a higher proportion of women than men, but unfortunately they are also less likely to receive treatment compared to men," said Dr. Troels Jensen, the pain association's president. "IASP hopes to provide a voice to these women by drawing attention to this global issue as a first step towards reducing pain and suffering of women around the world."
Researchers say medical professionals need better education on the different ways women suffer from pain and how to best treat them.
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