Causes of joint pain in women

Introduction

Some researches have shown that women are affected by joint pain more comparing to man. This discrepancy can be explained by the fact that women suffer from conditions that include pain in joints more than men. Additionally, the changeability in level of female hormones reflects on the women's susceptibility to pain. Women have more problems to cope with pain comparing to man.

Causes of Joint Pain in Women

Pain in joints is always present in case of arthritis. Since 60% of all the patients suffering from arthritis are women it can be said that the most common cause of the pain in joints in women is actually arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. Even this condition affects women more than men. Namely, the ratio in case of rheumatoid arthritis is one man to three affected women.

Pain in joints can be also present in many other autoimmune diseases such as scleroderma, multiple sclerosis or lupus. Unfortunately, even in these cases women suffer more. This is because women are, generally, more affected by autoimmune diseases than men.

Fibromyalgia is another medical condition that can present with pain in joints. In case of fibromyalgia, pain in joints is eight times more likely to occur in women than in men.

Pain in Joints and Hormonal Connection

One scientist has said that pain in women is more intensive. The explanation for this hypothesis may lie in female hormones. Namely, a majority of women who are suffering from different medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or fibromyalgia say that the pain in joints intensifies right before the menstrual bleeding. In that period estrogen levels fall rapidly and this hormone gets back to normal after the bleeding is over. One doctor says that estrogen in actually a hormone that protects from excessive pain. This hormone slowly rises even during pregnancy . The reason for this increase is probably the reduction of pain the women is exposed during the labor. There is some evidence which can support this hypothesis. Specifically, 80% of women who had been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis had complete remission of the disease during the pregnancy and once the level of estrogen fell (after the birth of a baby) a flare-up of the disease occurred.

Pain in Joints and Women's Bodies

Some scientists say that endorphins, which are the substances produced during pain and very important in reduction of pain, work more efficiently in men comparing to women.

Additionally, women may be prone to certain joint pain due to its anatomy. This particularly refers to pain in knee. The explanation may lie in the fact that women tend to make more movements in knee joint comparing to men and this way the risk of the destruction of patella is increased.

Medications for Joint Pain

And finally, female hormones can interfere in the effect achieved by painkillers. This can result in need for higher doses of pain killing medications in women comparing to men. Additionally, gastrointestinal track in women is far too slower than in men. Painkillers need more time to be absorbed and sometimes they are not even absorbed to full extent. This additionally increased the doses of the administered medications.