Women are the Hardier Sex...

HealthDay, May, 2003

SUNDAY, May 18 (HealthDayNews) -- She gets a tooth pulled, then drives herself home, makes dinner for four, does the laundry and helps the kids with their homework.

He gets a tooth pulled and his universe slams to a halt, as he waits for the pain to go away.

Caricatures? Sure. But the debate over who can really stand more pain has been one of the more interesting battles of the sexes, spanning generations.

Now, however, new research is bringing that battle into a whole new arena, with strong evidence that the traditionally "weaker" sex may be hardier after all.

"I think men have always secretly suspected that in order to go through childbirth a woman has to be pretty tough. Now we have some new science to back up the idea that women may be better able to...