Women are physically more sensitive to pain than men

AORN Journal, Dec, 2005

Women are more sensitive than men when it comes to pain, according to an Oct 24, 2005, news release from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. A study found that women feel pain more intensely than men because women have more nerve receptors.

Women in the study averaged 34 nerve fibers per square centimeter in the facial skin while men averaged only 17 nerve fibers. Although there is a psychosocial expectation that men will be tougher than women when feeling pain, these findings illustrate that women's lower pain tolerance and threshold are physical Researchers hope that the data compiled from this study will give a new perspective on how to better treat pain in women after surgery.

Study Reveals Reason Women Are More Sensitive to Pain Than Men, Says American Society of Plastic Surgeons (news release, Arlington Heights, Ill: American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Oct 24, 2005) http://www.usnewswire.com (accessed 24 Oct 2005).