Global Study Shows Women Face Higher Rates of Pain Than Men

A new global study shows that women are more likely than men to report pain across all 11 body sites tested. The study looked at more than 6.1 million people in 118 countries and found large gaps, especially for pain in the face, head, and stomach. Published in Nature Medicine, the results show women had an 83 percent higher rate of facial pain than men. Women also showed a 74 percent higher rate of headaches and a 60 percent higher rate of stomach or abdominal pain. Along with getting pain more often, women were more likely to report pain that is severe and spreads across the body.

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Experts note that these global findings match what doctors see in India, where women often report similar health issues. Even so, women's pain has often been ignored, misunderstood, or left without proper medical care over the years.