A correlation between sex hormone levels and pressure pain threshold and tolerance in healthy women.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between sex hormone levels and pressure pain threshold (PPT) and pressure pain tolerance (PPTO) in healthy women. Forty-one volunteers with mean age 33.00 ± 6.28 years participated in the study. Before PPT and PPTO, plasma levels of estrogen, progesterone, prolactin, luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone and follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) were determined. The PPT and PPTO were measured at masseteric muscle by pressure algometer. There was a significant positive correlation between estrogen, progesterone, prolactine and PPT and PPTO (p < 0.01), but there was no correlation between FSH and PPT, PPTO. It was concluded that sex hormone levels influence pain perception in healthy women. It must be taken into consideration that in pain treatment of women, due to fluctuation of hormone levels, perception of pain may change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]