Ever been told, “It’s all in your head,” when you’re in pain? Turns out, science is finally on your side.
A new study in Science Immunology confirms what many women have long suspected.
Chronic pain hits women harder than men—and there’s a biological reason.
“The pain of women has been overlooked in clinical practice,” says lead author Geoffroy Laumet.
“It’s not a social construct. There’s a real mechanism behind it.”
Researchers focused on monocytes, hormone-regulated immune cells that communicate with neurons to calm pain.
In male mice, these cells work faster, producing anti-inflammatory molecules like interleukin-10. Female mice? Pain lingered longer.
Higher sex hormones appear to slow the process, explaining why women make up 60–70% of chronic pain sufferers.
Hormones And Pain
The implications could be huge. Laumet envisions treatments that stimulate monocytes or even topical testosterone to ease localized pain.
And beyond medicine, the study challenges decades of bias.
Women were long excluded from clinical trials, and their symptoms often dismissed as “emotional.”
“Science is changing the landscape,” says Elora Midavaine.
“Better understanding of hormones and immunity will lead to more equitable care.”
So next time someone doubts your pain, you can say: “It’s real. And now, we can prove it.”
