If you’ve ever felt that your pain wasn’t taken seriously, you’re not alone. For decades, women reporting persistent pain were often told it was stress, anxiety, or simply a lower tolerance. But new science suggests something very different. The difference may not be psychological at all. It may be biological.
Emerging research from Michigan State University, published in Science Immunology, suggests that immune system differences regulated by sex hormones could explain why chronic pain tends to last longer in women. This research shifts the focus away from how pain starts and toward how pain stops — and why that process appears to differ between men and women.
As a physician, I find this shift critical. When nearly 50 million Americans live with chronic pain, understanding why recovery timelines differ could reshape treatment strategies and help ensure women’s pain is addressed with the seriousness it deserves.
Chronic Pain Is Not Just About Injury
Pain begins as a protective signal. Specialized nerve cells, called nociceptors, activate when you stub your toe or strain a muscle. Normally, once the injury heals, those pain signals quiet down.
But chronic pain is different. In this state, pain-sensing neurons can remain activated long after tissue recovery. Sometimes they fire with minimal stimulation — or none at all. This creates ongoing discomfort that can last months or years.
Traditionally, researchers focused on what triggers pain. Inflammation. Nerve damage. Trauma. Yet the new research suggests that the body’s ability to actively turn pain off may be just as important.
Pain resolution, we are learning, is not passive. It requires coordinated communication between the immune system and the nervous system.
The Immune System’s Role in Turning Off Pain
The key players in this new discovery are immune cells called monocytes. These cells circulate in your bloodstream and travel to injured tissues.
In the Michigan State study, researchers found that a subset of monocytes produces a molecule called interleukin-10 (IL-10). IL-10 is widely known as an anti-inflammatory cytokine. However, this research showed something more specific: IL-10 communicates directly with pain-sensing neurons and signals them to stop firing.
In both mouse models and human patients recovering from injury, males had higher levels of IL-10–producing monocytes. As a result, they tended to resolve pain faster.
Females, on the other hand, showed lower activity of these IL-10–producing monocytes. This corresponded with longer-lasting pain and delayed recovery.
This finding suggests that immune cell behavior — not just injury severity — influences how long pain persists.
The Hormone Connection: Testosterone’s Influence
Why would immune cells behave differently in men and women? Hormones appear to be part of the answer.
Testosterone was found to increase IL-10 production by monocytes. When researchers blocked male sex hormones in experimental models, the IL-10 advantage disappeared. Pain lasted longer.
Women generally have lower circulating testosterone levels than men. That hormonal difference appears to influence how effectively monocytes produce IL-10 after injury.
This does not mean women are weaker or more sensitive. It means their immune systems respond differently — and those differences have measurable biological effects.
Understanding this mechanism changes the conversation around women’s pain. It moves it away from subjective reporting and into objective immunology.
Why This Matters for Non-Opioid Treatments
For decades, chronic pain management has leaned heavily on opioid medications. While opioids can blunt pain signals, they do not address the underlying resolution process. They also carry significant risks, including dependence and overdose.
The discovery of the IL-10 pain-resolution pathway opens the door to a new type of treatment approach:
- Instead of blocking pain signals
- Boost the body’s natural ability to switch pain off
If therapies can be developed to increase IL-10 production or enhance monocyte signaling, we may one day shorten recovery time and prevent acute pain from becoming chronic.
While these therapies are likely years away, the concept itself represents progress. It reframes chronic pain not simply as an inflammatory problem, but as a resolution problem.
The Bigger Picture: Taking Women’s Pain Seriously
Women are disproportionately affected by chronic pain conditions, including fibromyalgia, migraines, and autoimmune disorders. Historically, these conditions were often dismissed or misunderstood.
This research validates what many women have experienced: the difference in pain duration has a biological foundation.
That validation is powerful. It supports more personalized treatment strategies and encourages healthcare providers to account for immune and hormonal factors when designing pain management plans.
It also reminds us that sex differences in medicine matter. One-size-fits-all approaches do not serve everyone equally.
My Personal RX on Supporting Your Body’s Natural Pain Resolution
Chronic pain can feel overwhelming, especially when it lingers longer than expected. While future therapies targeting IL-10 may still be on the horizon, there are steps you can take now to support your immune system, reduce inflammation, and improve recovery. Pain resolution depends on overall immune balance, gut health, hormone regulation, and nervous system stability. Here are my practical prescriptions to support your body’s healing response.
1. Prioritize Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition: Fill your plate with omega-3–rich fish, leafy greens, berries, turmeric, and olive oil. These foods support healthy immune signaling and may help regulate inflammatory pathways tied to chronic pain.
2. Support Gut Health Daily: A large portion of your immune system resides in your gut. Consider a high-quality probiotic and prebiotic blend like MindBiotic to help maintain microbial balance and support immune communication that influences inflammation and pain regulation.
3. Maintain Stable Blood Sugar: Blood sugar spikes can worsen inflammatory responses. Focus on balanced meals with fiber, healthy fats, and protein to avoid immune stress.
4. Strengthen Stress Regulation: Chronic stress can impair immune balance and slow healing. Guided breathing, meditation, and structured relaxation practices from Calm the Chaos can help regulate the nervous system and reduce stress-related pain amplification.
5. Get Consistent, Restorative Sleep: Aim for 7–9 hours nightly. Sleep deprivation disrupts cytokine balance, including molecules like IL-10, and can worsen pain sensitivity.
6. Engage in Gentle, Regular Movement: Low-impact activities such as walking, swimming, and yoga support circulation and immune function without overstressing inflamed tissues.
7. Optimize Vitamin D Levels: Vitamin D plays an important role in immune modulation. Have your levels checked and supplement if needed under medical guidance.
8. Incorporate Digestive Support When Needed: If inflammation or medication use disrupts digestion, a targeted supplement such as Digestive Enzymes can help support nutrient absorption and reduce additional stress on your system.
9. Advocate for Hormone Evaluation: If you experience persistent pain along with hormonal symptoms, speak with your healthcare provider about evaluating hormone levels. Hormonal balance affects immune signaling.
10. Educate Yourself on the Gut–Brain–Immune Axis: Understanding how your immune and nervous systems communicate empowers you to make informed health decisions. My book Heal Your Gut, Save Your Brain explores these connections and practical strategies to support whole-body healing.
Chronic pain is not simply something you must endure. Your immune system has built-in mechanisms designed to calm pain. By supporting those systems through nutrition, stress management, gut health, and restorative habits, you help your body move toward resolution — not just temporary relief.
Source:
- 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(116), eadx0292. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciimmunol.adx0292
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