Unpacking: Gender Differences and the Impact of Hormones on Pain

Why do women make up 70% of chronic pain sufferers? The answer involves more than just biology. Dr. Megan and Holly examine how hormones, pain thresholds, and social conditioning create vastly different pain experiences for men and women.

You'll discover:

1. Why pain thresholds change dramatically at puberty and menopause
2. How testosterone acts as a buffer and estrogen fluctuations trigger pain
3. Insights about that viral study where men couldn't last through simulated labor pain
4. Why menstrual pain is chronically underreported (and how that leads to worse outcomes)
5. How memory and pain are linked through estrogen receptors in the brain
6. What happens to transgender individuals' pain perception during hormone therapy

Holly and Dr. Megan also tackle the social costs of pain - from women hesitating to report debilitating cramps to men feeling pressured to "gut it out" - and why finding a practitioner who asks about your full pain experience matters.

The good news? Pain is malleable, and there are evidence-based approaches that can help.

Links to interesting things from this episode:

1. Dr. Jen Gunter, website