bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

To all the women who have heard the frustrating “it’s all in your head” in response to medical maladies, a new study feels your pain.
Research published in the journal Science Immunology shows that women actually do experience exacerbated chronic pain compared to men – a gap that can be explained by biological differences in the immune system.
“The pain of women has been overlooked in clinical practice, with the idea that it’s more in the mind, or that it’s because women are softer and more emotional,” lead author Geoffroy Laumet says.
“But here, our study shows that the difference is real … it’s not a social construct. It has a real biological mechanism that is behind it.”

Pain occurs when neurons react to stimuli: stubbing your toe or tripping and skinning your knee, for example.
But chronic pain persists with mild to no stimulation – and women constitute 60 to 70 per cent of the patients experiencing it, Laumet says.
The scientist at Michigan State University says his team set out to explore how hormone-regulated immune cells, known as monocytes, affect pain resolution.
Researchers learned that monocytes play a key role in communicating with the neurons that sense pain – and then work to shut down those pain-sensing neurons by producing the anti-inflammatory interleukin 10, or IL-10.
Their studies were not originally aimed at exploring potential differences related to sex, but the data was clear: it took longer for pain to resolve in female mice, and the monocytes producing IL-10 were less active in them.
Those cells are more active in males, according to the study, which cited higher levels of sex hormones such as testosterone as an explanation.

Laumet is hopeful the research will open new doors to improved pain treatment.
He says that in the long term, research can probe how to stimulate the monocytes and boost IL-10 production to “enhance the body’s ability to resolve pain”.
And in the short term, he sees the potential for topical testosterone to prove a viable option to alleviate localised suffering.
Elora Midavaine, a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, who also studies chronic pain, says the new study adds “important nuance” to how we understand the interactions of hormones and the immune system and their influence on pain.
Midavaine, who was not involved in the study, says it fits into a broader movement focused on intersections of neuroscience with both immunology and endocrinology – an approach she says “has potential to advance our understanding of chronic pain in women”.
Laumet says he hopes that improved understanding and potential new treatment avenues will reduce prescriptions of opioid painkillers, which have high risks of side effects and addiction.

More broadly, both researchers voiced optimism that as our knowledge of women’s health improves, they will receive better treatment.
“I hope that we can contribute to erasing this common idea that women’s pain is exaggerated,” Laumet says. “The standard of care should be adapted to the sex.”
But why has it taken so long to begin understanding the bodies of half the population?
For decades, women were excluded from clinical trials, and most pain studies analysing animals only used males, Midavaine says – a medical bias that operated on the notion that female hormones created “too much variability”.
Diagnosis of pain relies almost wholly on reporting from patients, and the symptoms of women are “often interpreted as emotional or mood-driven rather than rooted in biology”, she says.
But “the landscape is changing”, she adds.
“As the science advances, I believe it will help shift outdated cultural beliefs and lead to more equitable care for women.”


Chronic pain lasts longer for women than men, study finds – and the reason is biological

5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend, February 27 to March 1

Why dates are healthier than sugar – but can you tell Medjool from Barhi or Halawi varieties?

Women’s heart attack symptoms and risk factors differ from men’s. Here’s what to know

Wellness

Women’s pain has often been overlooked as “more in the mind”. But a new study has found chronic pain to be more exacerbated for women than for men, and the biological reason behind it. Photo: Shutterstock

Research published in the journal Science Immunology shows that women experience exacerbated chronic pain compared to men. Photo: Shutterstock

Laumet says that women constitute 60 to 70 per cent of the patients experiencing chronic pain. Photo: Shutterstock

Laumet hopes that an improved understanding of pain will reduce prescriptions of opioid painkillers, which carry high risks. Photo: Shutterstock

How exercise helped a mother tackle serious knee pain and return to cane-free walking

Kavita Biswas could barely walk short distances before she started physiotherapy and resistance training to strengthen the muscles around her knee. Now the osteoarthritis sufferer can walk for up to 45 minutes at a time and manages her daily life independently. Photo: Kavita Biswas

By the time Biswas had reached her mid-forties, her knee had become so painful that simple daily activities were difficult. Sitting on the floor with her students was no longer possible. Photo: Kavita Biswas

When first diagnosed with a probable meniscus tear, Biswas found even short walks unbearable. Now she is able to cross this bridge near her home on her own. Photo: Kavita Biswas

Doctors confirmed that Biswas had knee ligament damage, but were hesitant to recommend a knee replacement because of her relatively young age. Photo: Shutterstock

Back pain: how a life-changing work injury led flight attendant to search for alternative relief – from EFT tapping and Pilates to yoga

Yoga helped Sujal Mahbubani get over the pain from a tailbone fracture and she became a yoga teacher. Photo: courtesy of Sujal Mahbubani

After overcoming the pain from a tailbone fracture through Pilates, yoga and other therapies, Sujal Mahbubani became a yoga teacher and now holds classes at the United Services Recreation Club (above) in Jordan, Hong Kong. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Sujal Mahbubani injured her back while working as a flight attendant. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Sujal Mahbubani with her family. Photo: courtesy of Sujal Mahbubani 

Sujal Mahbubani (far right) with friends in Hong Kong in 2023. Her red heels are much more than a fashion accessory: they symbolise just how far she has come in her pain journey. Photo courtesy of Sujal Mahbubani 

Why acupuncture attracts growing numbers of people for its pain relief and other effects

TCM practitioner Elizabeth Yau gives a patient facial acupuncture. Acupuncture has become a common TCM treatment. Photo: Elizabeth Yau

Chee Hee Seng is spreading the word of the value of TCM through social media, raising followers’ awareness – and curiosity – about this age-old medical system. Photo: Instagram/tcmbycheehee

Elizabeth Yau inserts acupuncture needles in a client’s stomach. Photo: Elizabeth Yau 

Chee Hee Seng was exposed to Chinese medicine from a young age and is now using it to help his family. Photo: Instagram/@tcmbycheehee

A patient undergoes cupping therapy. Photo: Elizabeth Yau

Health benefits of quitting alcohol, from weight loss to slowing ageing

Jodi Clark, seen in January 2023 and this month,  who now runs online groups, challenges and retreats for women, has lost 38kg (84lb) since she stopped drinking more than 3 years ago. Photo: Jodi Clark

David Wilson, whose Instagram handle is @soberdave, quit alcohol more than seven years ago after nearly four decades of regular drinking. Now he is helping others who want to stop and improve their health. Photo: David Wilson

Wilson shares motivational nuggets and more on his Instagram account @soberdave. Photo: Instagram/soberdave

Jodi Clark in January 2023 (left) and in January 2026 (right). She has lost 38kg since she stopped drinking more than three years ago. Photo: Jodi Clark

Clark says she used to be a “middle-lane drinker”, someone who binged at the weekend but restricted drinking during the week. Photo: Jodi Clark

Millie Gooch, founder of the Sober Girl Society, is always keen to share tips on how to fully embrace sobriety.  Photo: Instagram/sobergirlsociety

Nurse practitioner Cynthia Thurlow has seen how alcohol can ruin lives. Photo: Cynthia Thurlow

David Nutt, professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, says alcohol “pickles your brain”. Photo: Imperial College London

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

Myth-busting findings that immune system differences cause chronic pain to persist longer for women highlight the need for better treatment


Myth-busting findings that immune system differences cause chronic pain to persist longer for women highlight the need for better treatment.


Medicine

Women and gender

5050

Chronic pain lasts longer for women than men, study finds – and the reason is biological

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Myth-busting findings that immune system differences cause chronic pain to persist longer for women highlight the need for better treatment

Myth-busting findings that immune system differences cause chronic pain to persist longer for women highlight the need for better treatment