Men and women report feeling pain differently depending on the procedure

GRAZ, Austria, June 3 (UPI) -- A large study involving 10,200 patients found few differences between pain reported by men and women except when asked about different procedures.

Dr. Andreas Sander-Kiesling, of the department of anesthesiology and intensive care at the Medical University of Graz in Austria, reviewed medical records of more than 10,200 patients -- 42 percent of were male and 58 percent female -- who had different surgeries, CBS News reported.

The patients were asked to rate their pain within 24 hours of the procedure.

The study didn't find significant differences between pain reported by men and women, CBS News reported.

However, when asked about pain after different procedures men were 27 percent more likely to report higher pain ratings after surgery, while 34 percent of women were more likely to report higher pain ratings after procedures such as a biopsy.

Sandner-Kiesling said the anxiety concerning biopsy results to determine cancer might contribute to the perception of pain in women.

"It could be anxiety," Sandner-Kiesling told CBS News.

The findings were scheduled to be presented at the Euroanaesthesia meeting in Stockholm.