New research explains gender differences in chronic pain processing

Processing pain in the spinal cord is controlled by pathways that originate in the periphery then go to the dorsal horn - a portion of the spinal cord present at every level. Processing of the pain in this area is modulated by many factors including the presence or absence of estrogen. This is why women have more chronic pain after menopause - natural or surgical. This has been suspected, but now has been proven in the laboratory.