Over the past few years, some studies have contended that women report more pain intensity than men.  But there is no definitive answer to the question of whether or not women feel more pain than men.

Women may report more pain than men, but women are also generally more likely to go to the doctor for medical problems. For many men there is a stigma attached to seeing a doctor for pain – many would prefer to “tough it out.”  One of the most common reasons people go to the doctor is pain.  Since women tend to report their problems more than men, it’s easy to assert that women feel more pain than men.

Everyone Feels Pain Differently

However, this connection may be correlation, not causation. In practice, pain is very subjective, and every person describes his or her pain differently.  By definition, pain is an unpleasant sensory or emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.   The regions of the brain responsible for perception of pain are right next to critical emotional areas of the brain.  For any painful condition, every person will report a different experience.  As a result, it is impossible to compare men to women in their perception of pain.

To make sense of this oft-debated topic, we can make a few general statements about men, women, and how they feel pain:

• Women go to the doctor more often than men,
• Women tend to report their emotions more readily than men.

Since pain is subjective, each situation is unique and different and cannot be compared.  Some people tend to hide their pain and emotions, while others want everyone to know their problems.

 Do Men Feel More Pain than Women?

While some believe women feel more pain than men, others assert that women are much tougher than men, since no man has ever given birth.  Again, the truth is that some people are tough and just grin and bear it while others scream every time they stub a toe.  Men may be slightly more stoic at times, but once they have pain, they are usually no different than women.