Do they suffer more than women?

With the arrival of autumn the first coldsand with them a common question arises: Why do men seem to have it worse than women?

It is popularly said that men are less resistant to physical discomfort. It only takes a few tenths of fever for them to feel completely depressed, while women are described as more resistant. Even with cold symptoms, they continue with their daily tasks, whether it is work, home, or taking care of the family.

This perception is so widespread that it has even given rise to a term in Anglo-Saxon scientific literature: man flu or “man flu”which refers precisely to the idea that the symptoms are experienced with greater intensity in the male gender.

Exaggeration or biological reality?

The issue is not just a social debate. There are also explanations from a medical point of view. in the program Julia in the wave From Onda Cero, Dr. Lorenzo Armenteros, spokesperson for the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians, pointed out that they have been found immunological differences between men and women.

As he commented, the Testosterone can reduce the effectiveness of the immune systemwhile estrogens and double chromosomes would offer a better response against diseases such as viruses or the flu. This would help understand why in some cases colds tend to last longer in men.

In addition to biology, cultural and personal factors also play a role. Many men admit that they feel pressured to appear strongwhich makes when they get sick express all your discomfort at once. On the other hand, women accustomed from youth to pain such as menstrual pain or childbirth, develop a different pain threshold and show more resignation to the symptoms.

Experiences in consultation and in daily life

From his professional experience, Armenteros also pointed out that in simple medical procedures, such as an injection of analgesics, he has observed very different reactions between men and women: “I have rarely found a woman who has had any syncope or fainting and I have seen men like towers who they feel very bad for the simple fact of taking an injectable“.

And outside of the consultation, the general perception is quite clear. On the street you hear phrases like: “When they get sick there is no one who can stand them“, “There is nothing more to compare how a sick mother behaves with a sick father” either “They are not used to suffering“.

Whether due to biology, culture or custom, the truth is that each cold season reopens this debate with humor.

@farmaceuticofernandez 🎥 Nobody, but NO ONE, suffers more than a man with the flu. 🤒💀 Forget childbirth, marathons or any pain imaginable… a man with the flu is on the brink of existence itself. 😩 • Fever of 37.2: “I don’t know if I’m going to make it…” 🥴 • A sneeze: “Call me an ambulance, this is serious.” 🚑 • And not to mention asking for water: “Honey, can you bring me water and maybe save my life?” 😂 👉 Meanwhile, women with the flu: working, taking care of the children and making dinner as if nothing had happened because their flu is much milder, they are clearly attacked by weaker viruses. 🦸‍♀️👏 Men’s flu is dramatic or dangerous. What do you think? 😅 Tell me, do you know someone like this? Tag it! 👇 #MenWithFlu #DramaLevel1000 #PharmacyHumor #PharmacistFernandez #NobodySuffersMore #TheTrueEpidemia #HealthCare #LaughingIsHealth #pharmacy #pharmacist #learncontiktok ♬ original sound – Farmaceuticofernandez