A small study recently published in the European Journal of Pain found that women’s sensitivity to pain does not appear to be increased by the menstrual cycle. The study did not assess perceptions of menstrual pain, but measured pain sensitivity to cold pressor, heat, and ischemic pain at different points throughout the cyle: the early follicular, late follicular, and luteal phases. Men were also tested three times, controlling for number of days between testing sessions. The researchers found that the phase of the menstrual cycle did not affect women’s pain sensitivity, nor did it affect gender differences in pain. (Contrary to popular belief, research indicates that in general, healthy women are more sensitive to pain than healthy men.)
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