Why Women Experience Pain Differently, According To Dr. Jess Tranchina

Описание: Dr. Jess, Founder and CEO of Experts in Wellness, LLC, and Co-Founder and CEO of Generator Athlete Lab spoke with Studio 512.

"When it comes to pain, women often feel dismissed, misunderstood, or told their symptoms are normal. But women’s pain is not only real—it is rooted in biology, hormones, stress patterns, and decades of gender bias in medical care."

Dr. Jess explains that understanding these factors can empower women to better interpret what their bodies are telling them and advocate for care that actually supports healing.

1. Biology & Hormones Shape How Women Experience Pain

"Women’s bodies are wired differently on a biological level, and hormones play a major role in how pain is both sensed and processed.

"Hormones like estrogen and progesterone directly influence the nervous system. As they fluctuate, so does pain sensitivity.

"Throughout the menstrual cycle, puberty, pregnancy, and menopause, these hormones rise and fall—shifting pain thresholds along with them.

Estrogen can raise pain thresholds in certain contexts.

Low progesterone, on the other hand, is associated with heightened pain sensitivity.

"That means pain can ebb and flow throughout the month. For example, during the follicular phase (the first half of the cycle), progesterone is naturally lower. Because of that, women may feel more sensitive to pain during this time of the month.

"These variations aren’t imagined—they’re physiological."

2. Women Report Pain More Frequently and More Intensely

"Across population studies, women consistently report pain more often than men—and with greater intensity.

"Chronic pain conditions such as migraines, fibromyalgia, autoimmune pain, pelvic pain, and musculoskeletal disorders occur at much higher rates in women. Research also shows that women have lower measured pain thresholds and lower pain tolerance.

"This doesn’t mean women are weaker. It reflects real biological differences in how pain is processed.”=

"This difference is the result of a combination of hormonal, immune, and neurological factors—not mindset or emotional sensitivity."

3. Stress Amplifies Pain, and Women Often Carry Higher Stress Loads

"Stress is one of the most powerful amplifiers of pain.

"Stress changes the hormonal landscape, shifts the nervous system toward fight‑or‑flight, and increases inflammation—all of which make the body more sensitive to pain.

"Women report higher levels of emotional stress, anxiety, and psychosocial pressure, often because they juggle many roles at once: work, caregiving, home management, and social expectations.

"Because of this, women may experience stronger pain responses during times of heightened stress. And importantly, stress‑related pain is not 'in your head'—it’s a real physiological reaction."

4. Women’s Pain Is More Likely To Be Dismissed in Healthcare

"One of the most damaging factors isn’t biological at all—it’s structural.

"Research shows women’s pain is more likely to be underestimated, dismissed, or labeled as emotional. Historically, women were dramatically underrepresented in medical research, so much of what we know about pain is based on male physiology.

"Women are also more likely to:

Be told their pain is stress‑related

Receive sedatives instead of pain medication

Have symptoms attributed to anxiety rather than investigated properly

"These biases can lead to delayed diagnoses, untreated conditions, and unnecessary suffering.

"When a woman feels like her pain isn’t taken seriously, she’s not imagining it—this is a well‑documented pattern in medicine."

All facts from this article were gathered by Studio 512 employees. This article was converted into this format with assistance from artificial intelligence. It has been edited and approved by Studio 512 staff.