Women are 52% more likely than men to report severe pain |
Across 6,125,459 people in 118 countries, women reported pain more often than men at every one of the 11 body sites studied, from the head and face to the hips, knees, and feet. In the analysis, the gap was widest for facial pain, which was 83% more common among women, followed by headaches (74%) and abdominal pain (60%). Women were also 52% more likely to report severe pain, rated 7 or higher out of 10.
“There likely isn’t one single explanation,” said lead author Matt Fillingim of McGill University. He listed sex hormones, immune function, how the nervous system processes pain, stress, and differences in how people report symptoms. Animal studies suggest that males and females can rely on different immune pathways in pain, but this has yet to be confirmed in people. Pain specialist Shuchita Garg adds that conditions more common in women, including migraine, endometriosis, and fibromyalgia, widen the gap.
In both sexes, the share of people reporting pain rose fastest before age 55,and back pain was the most common complaint. Most of the data came from one-off surveys, so the results compared age groups rather than following individuals over time.
For more on why the researchers want prevention to start earlier, and what specialists recommend once pain affects daily activities, jump to “Women consistently experience more pain than men across 11 body parts.”
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