‘Men cannot cope with childbirth’, this is what experts say

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Pain is something we all have sometimes and is unfortunately part of it. We women are used to something. After all, we have our monthly cramps, and let’s not forget the pain of pregnancy and childbirth. All complaints that our other half has no idea about.

Nerve endings

Pain is more than just a painful stimulus. Your body is full of nerve endings where you feel pain. Not only the strength of the pain stimulus, but also hormones, previous experiences and ideas of society play a role in this. We are not only talking about our female hormones, but also about testosterone, which men have a lot more of. Testosterone protects against pain. So a big advantage for them.

“On average, women experience pain earlier than men”

Describe pain in different ways

But it is difficult to say whether women can really handle pain better, because there are different ways to describe pain. “On average, women experience pain earlier than men,” says pain researcher Esmeralda Blaney Davidson of Radboud university medical center. “But the fact that women are more likely to describe a stimulus as painful does not mean that women are less able to tolerate pain.”

“But the fact that women are more likely to describe a stimulus as painful does not mean that women are less able to tolerate pain.”

Please note, says Blaney Davidson, these are averages. “It is quite possible that as a woman you have a higher pain threshold than a man.” The type of pain and previous experiences also determine how much you feel. “For example, women can sometimes tolerate menstrual pain well, because they have become used to it. And their body knows that these cramps do not pose any danger.”

Also read: Can you refuse a male doctor during your delivery?

Women show their pain more

It may be that women express this more. Blaney Davidson indicates that it is more accepted for women to show when they are in pain. “That’s partly because we were taught that way. When a boy falls on the schoolyard, many people react differently than when a girl falls.” This may also mean that men are less likely to come forward during this study.

Could men handle childbirth?

But then the pressing question: could men cope with childbirth? According to Blaney Davidson, that question cannot actually be investigated, because childbirth is very difficult to compare with other types of pain. Also not to be forgotten is that during childbirth you bring a beautiful child into the world, and this is of course confronted with the pain. “In many cases, but certainly not all, this means that women can accept the pain better.”

Source: NEMO Kennislink

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