Integrative physiological and behavioral science : the official journal of the Pavlovian Society
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Integr Physiol Behav Sci · Apr 2000
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialPain perception to the cold pressor test during the menstrual cycle in relation to estrogen levels and a comparison with men.
Animal and human research has shown that pain sensitivity changes during the menstrual cycle. This has sometimes been ascribed to hormonal variations. The aim of the present study was to examine how perception of pain, induced by the cold pressor test to the dominant hand, was related to gender and phases of the menstrual cycle. ⋯ Women's pain threshold was significantly higher during the second phase of the menstrual cycle. Systolic pressure was higher in men than women, increasing more in men in response to cold pressor testing than women. Further research, including measurements of plasma hormone levels during the menstrual cycle, is needed to clarify the role played by estrogens in pain perception.