| Sumario: | Aims This observational study aimed to explore the prevalence and severity of chronic pain in menopausal-aged females. Materials & Methods We identified participants in the NIH-sponsored All of Us database with a diagnosis of chronic pain. We examined the severity of pain based on numeric rating scale score (NRS). Among those with chronic pain, we generated four sub-cohorts: females ≥ 51 years old who were menopausal, females 18–50 years who were considered pre-menopausal, and age matched male cohorts. Results The 53,289 participants were separated into four cohorts by age and sex: females 18–50 (10,269), females ≥ 51 (20,182), males 18–50 (4,989), and males ≥ 51 (17,849). Both older females and older males had lower pain levels than the sex-matched 18–50 group (p < 0.001). Findings were consistent in White, Black, and non-Hispanic cohorts. When comparing older adults, females ≥ 51 had higher pain levels than males ≥ 51 (p < 0.001). Conclusions We found that independent of sex, NRS scores were lower in older adults compared to younger cohorts. Older women however had more pain than their male counterparts. These findings have implications for the design of patient-tailored therapeutic treatments and warrant further exploration of physiological and psychosocial causes. Plain Language Summary Chronic pain is a major health concern that affects millions of people and interferes with everyday life. Women often report pain more than men and this may be related to hormones as they age, especially around menopause. In this study, we identified participants in a large, diverse national database with a diagnosis of chronic pain to see how age and menopause affect pain levels. We compared 4 groups: older women who were menopausal, younger women who were pre-menopausal, and men in the same age groups. We found that older adults reported less pain than younger adults. However, older women had higher pain scores than men of the same age. This was true across racial and ethnic groups. This may suggest that hormone changes in women may play a role in how pain levels. Understanding this difference can help create more personalized treatment plans.
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