Ouch!
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) gave the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) a $1.5 million federal grant to study the pain thresholds of transgenders.
According to the NIH, the funding for the research began in 2022 so UAB can study how gender identity influences pain sensitivity.
“It is often reported that females demonstrate lower pain thresholds and higher sensitivity than males in experimental pain tests. However, “sex” and “gender” are often used interchangeably to describe these differences, but genetic sex and gender identity are not always congruent. As a result, human subjects may be categorized as male or female based upon genetic sex even if they do not identify as a man or woman, respectively. Transgender (trans) men and women (TM and TW) are a minority group whose gender identity is different than their genetic sex (as opposed to cisgender men and women; CM and CW). As a result, TM and TW may experience stigma, prejudice and depression, putting them at greater risk for negative health outcomes and impacted quality of life. Thus, this understudied community provides a unique opportunity to investigate the role of gender identity (trans vs. cis), sex assigned at birth (male vs. female) and hormonal status (elevated testosterone vs. elevated estrogen) on pain and well-being, while providing a better understanding of the needs of the community,” a description of the research details.
UAB Professor Robert Sorge is the project’s leader, according to NIH. Total funding for the project from NIH is $1,528,769. NIH, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency.
According to the NIH, UAB’s research of transgender pain sensitivity will be the “first exploration of the impact of gender identity, sex assigned at birth and hormonal status on quality of life, pain sensitivity and immune cell activity in trans individuals.”
“This investigation will also provide critical information with respect to the needs of this underserved and critically understudied population,” according to the NIH.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email caleb.taylor@1819News.com.
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