title: Pain and sex hormones: a review of current understanding.
abstract: Multiple epidemiologic studies have demonstrated an increased prevalence for women in several chronic pain disorders. Clinical and experimental investigations have consistently demonstrated sex-specific differences in pain sensitivity and pain threshold. Even though the underlying mechanisms responsible for these differences have not yet been elucidated, the logical possibility of gonadal hormone influence on nociceptive processing has garnered recent attention. In this review, we evaluated the complex literature regarding gonadal hormones and their influence on pain perception. We reviewed the numerous functions of gonadal hormones, discussed the influence of these hormones on several common chronic pain syndromes (migraine, tension and cluster headaches, fibromyalgia, temporomandibular syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and back pain, among others), and have attempted to draw conclusions from the available data.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Adrian J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Maurer
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Alexei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lissounov
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Knezevic
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.|Department of Anesthesiology, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Candido
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.|Department of Anesthesiology, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Nebojsa Nick
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Knezevic
mesh_terms: D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D059225:Nociception / Q000502:physiology*; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones
keywords: chronic pain; female; gender differences; gonadal steroid hormones; humans; male; pain; sex differences