For too long, women’s pain has been underestimated and ignored. A common misconception is that women are “built to endure more pain” because they give birth or routinely experience debilitating period cramps. This myth has led to women’s pain being dismissed and undertreated in medical settings. Research shows otherwise. Women experience pain differently, and often more acutely, than men. They are also more likely to develop chronic pain, yet clinical trials have historically excluded them or relied on male-only samples, leaving women without the care they deserve. As Dr. Sean Mackey of Stanford University explains, “Sex differences aren’t just stronger or weaker — they are often entirely different wiring diagrams.” Neuroscientist Karen Davis adds that failing to account for those differences is “a disservice to patients who are suffering from different types of pain.” Pain is not one size fits all, and neither is care. Listening to women, investing in inclusive research, and challenging outdated assumptions are critical steps to closing the gender gap in #healthcare.
Women, 50% of the workforce, aren’t “built to endure more pain” — they’re more exposed to it. Periods, childbirth, menopause: natural but painful processes. We treat poop with dignity — toilet paper and water everywhere, no questions asked. We must treat (period)pain ⚡⚡ the same way (evidence based equality). The essentials women need for periods and pain must be as widespread as the stuff we need to handle poop. Ignoring this doesn’t build resilience. It builds disease, stigma, chronic pain, disability, and depression. Do you think I am too "radical" , or is this plain and simple common sense? Happy to hear your thoughts...👇 🙏
Women don’t just feel pain differently, their biology processes it differently. When medicine ignores that, it’s not that women are more tolerant, it’s that science has been more negligent
Ummm got bigger problems... for example can you understand or define a women in a scientific paradigm invented by man... Which is like do we really know what a women is.... The Female Quotient
Pain tolerance is equal to great strength. That's why men are intimated by women since the dawn of time.
Misogyny in healthcare is very real, and costs women dearly. I imagine most women out there have some type of horror story to be shared.
It can be both? I do believe we learn to endure more because we are always overlooked. We have had to learn to endure it. Is, for sure, not a positive thing. To have more pain tolerance is not by any means not feeling pain until is unbearable, it means having to take more in because nobody listens. Speaking from 20+ years of chronic pain journey.
Women’s pain is not “normal.” It’s not “tolerable.” And it should never be ignored. Women often experience pain more acutely than men — yet their voices are minimized and their conditions under-researched. Pain is not one-size-fits-all. Neither is care. We need to listen. We need inclusive research. We need to challenge bias. How do you see such needed change happening?
Highly recommend both seasons of The Retrievals for an in depth look at how this manifests in IVF and cesarean sections: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-retrievals/id1691599042
Advocate of better human experience.
3wTrue, this is a medical topic that has been under or just NOT funded pretty much, yet. Glad this is finally coming to light. Also that Melinda is organizing to tackle this one…