Keywords
thermal pain
primary satiety
secondary satiety
phases of the ovarian-menstrual cycle
How to Cite
Abstract
Nowadays it is known that sex hormones play an important role not only in the reproductive system but also in thermoregulation, somatosensory control, and pain perception. Several studies have shown that women are less tolerant of pain and have higher sensitivity and predisposition to somatization and pain chronification. In addition to sex, feeding status is also an essential factor for pain perception. Metabolic factors and glucose levels may play a role in the sensation of pain. In this paper, we report an evaluation of thermal pain thresholds induced by heat and cold stimulation in males and females during primary (pre-resorption) and secondary (metabolic) satiety. The obtained data showed that in both sensory-motor satiety and metabolic satiety, the heat pain threshold was significantly higher in males than in females in the follicular and luteal phases of the ovarian-menstrual cycle. Further studies are needed to detect more details on the influence of food satiety levels on pain perception regarding sex differences.
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