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By Daniella Gray
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The extent of women’s pain is not imagined or exaggerated—new research shows it genuinely lasts longer than men’s.
Researchers at the Michigan State University found key differences in immune cells called monocytes, which appear to help the body “switch off” pain, between the sexes.
According to the findings, these cells are more active in men, largely due to the influence of sex hormones such as testosterone, allowing pain to resolve more quickly.
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In women, however, the same immune response is less active, leading to slower recovery and longer-lasting pain. The research, led by Laumet and former graduate student Jaewon Sim, found the same pattern in both mouse models and human patients.
“The difference in pain between men and women has a biological basis,” physiologist professor Geoffroy Laumet said in a statement. “It’s not in your head, and you’re not soft. It’s in your immune system.”
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Monocytes were once thought to play a fairly limited role in the body, acting mainly as precursor cells. But Laumet’s team discovered that a specific subset of these cells produces interleukin-10, or IL‑10—a molecule that directly signals pain-sensing neurons to calm down.
“That was the turning point for me,” Sim said. “I feel extremely fortunate that we trusted those early, uncertain findings and chose to pursue them further.”
Further experiments showed that IL‑10–producing monocytes were far more active in males than females. When male sex hormones were blocked, the effect reversed, strengthening the link between hormones, immune activity and pain resolution.
“This study shows that pain resolution is not a passive process,” Laumet said. “It is an active, immune-driven one.”
The findings challenge long-standing assumptions about chronic pain, which affects women at higher rates and is often dismissed as subjective or psychological.
Doctors still largely rely on patients to rate pain on a scale of one to 10—a system that doesn’t capture biological differences and can leave women feeling unheard.
To confirm the results were not a fluke, Laumet’s lab ran at least five different tests in mice, all showing the same outcome.
The team then collaborated with University of North Carolina researcher Sarah Linnsteadt, who observed similar immune patterns in people recovering from car accidents: men resolved pain faster and showed higher IL‑10 activity.
While any treatment based on this discovery is still likely years—if not decades—away, researchers believe the work opens the door to non-opioid therapies that could help pain resolve faster, rather than simply masking it.
“Future researchers can build on this work,” Laumet said. “This opens new avenues for non-opioid therapies aimed at preventing chronic pain before it’s established.”
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Reference
Sim, J., O’Guin, E., Sugimoto, C., Laumet, S., Monahan, K., Bernard, M. P., McLean, S. A., Albertorio-Sáez, L. M., Zhao, Y., Ramakrishnan, H., de Souza, S., Eller, O. C., Smoyer, C. J., Baumbauer, K. M., Mack, M., Folger, J. K., Robison, A. J., Linnstaedt, S. D., & Laumet, G. (2026). Monocyte-derived IL-10 drives sex differences in pain duration. Science Immunology, 11. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciimmunol.adx0292
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