A new study from the University of Calgary may help explain why women are more likely than men to experience chronic pain.
Led by Dr. Tuan Trang, a professor in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and the Cumming School of Medicine, the research offers new insights into how pain develops differently in males and females—and why treatments may work better for some people than others.
Published in the journal Neuron, the study focuses on neuropathic pain, a type of pain caused by damage to the nerves or nervous system.
One of the most troubling symptoms of this kind of pain is allodynia, where even mild touches or everyday sensations—like clothes brushing against skin or a breeze—cause intense pain. This condition is especially difficult to treat.
According to the Canadian Pain Task Force, chronic pain is more common in females than in males across all age groups, including children. Until recently, much of the research on pain was based on male subjects, leading to treatments that may not be as effective for women.
“Both males and females develop pain, but each sex develops it through different means,” said Dr. Trang. “This study identifies a very unique type of biological process through a specific immune cell that is distinctive to each sex.”
The study, conducted in mice and rats, found that both sexes use the same channel—called pannexin 1 (Panx1)—to send pain signals.
But the type of immune cell involved in this process differs by sex. In female rodents, activation of Panx1 triggered the release of leptin, a hormone known for its role in controlling appetite but also linked to increased pain sensitivity.
Leptin may be a key part of the puzzle. Back in the 1980s, researchers noticed that women with chronic pain had higher levels of leptin in their blood than women who did not have chronic pain. This new study helps to explain why. It shows that in females, nerve injury activates a pain pathway that releases leptin, potentially worsening their pain experience.
Dr. Lori Montgomery, a pain specialist and professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, said the findings could help make pain treatment more personal and effective.
“We’ve known for a long time in the clinic that women are more likely to suffer from chronic pain than men,” she said. “This latest research might help explain why some people respond to treatments and others don’t.”
The study highlights the importance of considering sex-based biological differences when studying pain and developing treatments. While male and female bodies both feel pain, they may process it in distinct ways at the cellular level.
This study is important because it offers a biological explanation for a pattern that doctors and researchers have observed for decades: women are more likely to suffer from chronic pain, and they often respond differently to treatment.
By identifying leptin as a key player in how female bodies process nerve pain, the research paves the way for sex-specific pain therapies—a major step forward in pain management.
It also underscores the importance of including both male and female subjects in scientific research. Historically, medical studies have focused more on males, and this has likely slowed progress in treating conditions that affect women differently.
This study doesn’t offer an immediate cure for chronic pain, but it brings scientists closer to targeted treatments that consider the unique biology of each patient. Future research could explore ways to block or regulate leptin in women suffering from chronic pain, or develop medications that work better based on the patient’s sex.
In short, understanding how pain works differently in men and women could lead to more effective, personalized care—helping the millions of women who struggle with chronic pain find better relief.
If you care about pain, please read studies about vitamin K deficiency linked to hip fractures in old people, and these vitamins could help reduce bone fracture risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that Krill oil could improve muscle health in older people, and eating yogurt linked to lower frailty in older people.
The research findings can be found in Neuron.
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