Historically pain has been studied on the mice model, specifically male mice. It has been discovered that the pain process is different for females, a difference so signicant that it may explain why females continue to be in chronic pain despite taking drugs which are effective for males.

http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/29/88...ifference-mice

Thanks for the link.
I always thought females would have a higher threshold for pain because their bodies are designed for pregnancy and childbirth. But, who knows if mice models transfer to humans. It will be interesting to see trials with humans.
D.

The researchers were surprised by the finding, which was accidental. They have a lab that tests using both male and female mice, a rarity.

I believe that females have specialized hormones which allow them to bear the pain of childbirth, but that does not necessarily translate into a higher ability to withstand pain in general.

This finding IMO is a breakthrough for women who outnumber men in sufferring from chronic pain. It could also explain why our pain frustrates our providers and causes them to come to the conclusion the pain is in our heads or that we are feigning our pain.

A Very interesting article. Thank you. Glad the NIH is requiring research on both male and female research participants now/soon.

DejaVu