Research suggests that women are more likely to experience joint pain, aching, and stiffness caused by osteoarthritis. For example, evidence suggests that: Women aged 50 to 60 years may be 3.5 times (350%) more likely to develop hand osteoarthritis than men in the same age group.
Women are 40% more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis than men.
Women’s body are designed to give birth. Consequently, their joints are more elastic than men’s, making them more prone to injury and more likely to develop arthritis. Also, according to Everyday Health, because women’s hips are wider than their knees, their knee joints aren’t aligned as straight as men’s.
Women are 10% more likely to develop hip osteoarthritis than men.
In addition, limited research suggests women tend to report more severe osteoarthritis pain than men.
Changes in hormone levels
Evidence suggests that women’s susceptibility to osteoarthritis may be related to hormone levels. Hormone levels fluctuate with menstruation cycles and change during menopause.
Menstruation and joint laxity
Increased hormone levels during certain stages of the menstrual cycle may increase joint laxity, which is associated with joint instability and injury. 6 Both joint instability and injury can contribute to the development of osteoarthritis.
The relationship between menstruation, joint laxity, and osteoarthritis is perhaps most clear in the case of knee osteoarthritis. Many researchers believe fluctuations in joint laxity help explain why female athletes are 2 to 8 times more likely than men to tear the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee. People who have had a past ACL injury are as much as 4 to 6 times more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis in the affected knee.
Women’s risk of developing osteoarthritis increases significantly after menopause, and women may notice joint pain appears or worsens during this time. Estrogen levels drop during menopause. This drop may contribute to changes in the body that accelerate the osteoarthritis process.
Source: Health Journal
