Why Women Have More Autoimmune Issues Than Men

Our immune systems are wonderful things—if they work properly. Sometimes, they can turn on us and create challenging autoimmune diseases & conditions. Unfortunately, these autoimmune issues primarily affect women. Why is that? Join Hank Green for a new episode of SciShow and dive into the world of the immune system!

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[nightingalesong]

My bone marrow: helps the immune system
My immune system: seems sketchy. Let's take it out.

[erin]

My thyroid: * exists *
My immune system: idk about that fam, seems pretty sketchy

[valentinechopine]

I am a transgender man with a rare autoimmune disease that kills my platelets. When I started testosterone hormone therapy, my platelet levels went up to normal and have stayed that way, even when I am not on hormones. I always thought that was interesting, given the gender divide.

[misstekhead]

It’s so infuriating to be brushed off and not taken seriously with our medical concerns. My sympathies for those who have suffered for years before getting a legit diagnosis and treatment.

As a woman the most common comment I’ve heard (mainly from so-called medical professionals) is, “It’s all in your head.” That isn’t always the exact wording of what’s said, but that’s typically the gist of what they’re trying to convey.

This is especially true when alluding to pain. I’ve had a long history of mismanagement when it comes to healthcare and it’s effects are everlasting. I put off going to see a doctor or seeking medical attention unless ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. Part of that is also due to how costly healthcare in the U.S. is, but mostly because of the dismal treatment I’ve received from medical practitioners throughout my 38 years of life thus far.

If I had the means to afford 2nd, 3rd, and 4th opinions I’d jump at the opportunity. The medical industry has a long history of putting women through the ringer and dismissing our symptoms as “hysteric claims”. Shame we’ve still got a ways to go.

[Microtonal_Cats]

And people tell you "But you don't LOOK sick...."

[Larstrollheim]

This is funny because after I was pregnant, my immune system decided that mosquito bites are super very dangerous and I get super sick from them now. Thanks, biology!

[clairevirtue]

I feel like comparing the rate of autoimmunity in places where rates of pregnancy have decreased versus where they are higher would be interesting

[MissDarknSpooky]

I'm 75% sure I have rheumatoid arthritis which is a degenerative disease and is extremely prevalent in my family but I haven't been able to seek out diagnosis because doctors don't take me seriously as a women and won't even entertain testing me for it. It's really horrible suffering from chronic pain and feeling unable to talk about it. I've given up and just bear with it now.

Update: First I would like to thank everyone for your kind words and support in the comments. I am 25 and I first suspected RA around 19. The reason for this update is that I recently suffered an extensive DVT and PE which is med speak for a whole lot of blood clots. I almost died. I am now seeing a hemotologist for blood testing to check for genetic factors and I mentioned that I have had chronic pain and though I ask doctors for testing for RA they had laughed and dismissed me. My results show that I do in fact have RA but it took me nearly dying to get there. Women's pain is systematically ignored. I still have not been prescribed pain relief and some days I can't walk. This needs to change. Thanks again for all the support!

[joecasiglia]

As a biological male with a pretty severe autoimmune condition, I had always wondered why almost everyone I had met with my condition was a women. I had thought maybe it had something to do with men visiting doctors less often the women and being less willing to seek out treatment for illness. I had no idea it was to this scale however or that my subjective experience had wide reaching implications. Really appreciate the work you guys do to keep us informed and educated on the science of medicine and human biology. Really cuts through a lot of the less reputable sources that spew questionable information.

[probablywhisper]

I’m a girl with Hashimotos (attacks the thyroid), and a while back I was having issues. My hair was breaking really badly, my cycle was off, always tired, etc. My mom and I thought my numbers were probably off, and got them checked.

Turns out, I was Vitamin D deficient. Being deficient in Vitamin D can mimic symptoms of autoimmune disorders. Get your sunlight, stay safe, don’t stress.

[DJ-svxf]

My brother and sister had allergies, especially my brother, when we were kids. Once they got away from mom, allergies subsided. (Mom was rageful and we were always stressed out.) I think stress plays a role.

[nishikaze]

I was diagnosed with Grave's Disease IMMEDIATELY after my son was born. I had been feeling 'off' for years and was told at one point I had a goiter but never got the chance to investigate it. I got pregnant soon after and felt FANTASTIC. It had been years since I'd felt that good. My son was born and my body went bat-guano crazy. I had a heart rate of 150 bpm AT REST. No one could figure out why until I mentioned the goiter and suggested they check my thyroid.

It makes sense now why I felt so good during my pregnancy. My body corrected itself for my son and crashed when it didn't have to anymore.

[oliviagreen]

My skin * exists *
My immune system: “ya, gonna have to get rid of that”
Me: 😢

[jenniferlindsey]

The stress thing makes a LOT of sense to me. I have psoriasis and eventually developed psoriatic arthritis (years after this incident) and it was quite bad when I had a job when my boss was...Ummm...”Difficult”, let’s say. My abdomen had a couple of hand-sized areas and my arms were 3/4 covered from elbow to wrist on the outside half. Within a WEEK of that person leaving the company, my stress level had dropped to near zero and my psoriasis was surprisingly, 100% GONE. Every last single spot disappeared! I was completely shocked. I knew stress made it worse, but I never imagined a lack of stress could clear it completely! Now, I am somewhat able to keep it suppressed through mindfulness and meditation (and a new job).

[tracymarsh]

I am a woman with MS. You talked about cells being exposed to stress that can cause the cells to activate some of the inactive parts of the cells (time stamp (9:40). Just thought that was interesting, when I was diagnosed with MS, my doctor asked me if I was hospitalized at any point in my childhood (I was, hospitalized for 5 days with pnuemococcal sepsis when I was 5 years old) My doctor said there was a correlation with a serious illness as a child and having MS later in life. Works with the that theory.

[korin]

This is fascinating. I have hEDS and a bunch of super 'fun' comorbities and what my doctor thinks is an undiagnosed autoimmune problem. I'm also transmasc, and my health DRAMATICALLY improved when I started testosterone. I've always wondered if it was more than just 'being happier' that did it, and after talking with a lot of other chronically ill transmasculine people it's common across the board that our health improved. Really hope this gets investigated more.
Also thanks for the inclusive language in the video :)!

[Questionablexfun]

This reminds me about how autism seemingly appears more in men but it’s incredibly under studied in women (and often presents very differently in women so it’s either missed or, in the past, has not been seen as autism)

[kacey_cat]

Explaining my autoimmune condition is always fun, because I get to watch people's faces when I say the words 'Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis' and then summarize it as 'my white blood cells went rogue and tried to kill me'. Like somehow the big red self-destruct button got pushed.

[jaesthetic]

I have about 7 autoimmune diseases, the worst being one that attacks my spine. I’m on disability and some days struggle to walk. Don’t underestimate this stuff, don’t ignore people when they say they’re in pain and something is wrong, even if you think they look fine. People like to think that they are healthy because they do all the right things, and like to believe they can exercise or eat clean their way out of chronic illness or pain if it ever happened to them. It’s one of those grasps at control I think, the idea that good people earn good health, and disabled, chronically Ill people just aren’t trying hard enough. This is the root cause of so much ableism I think, the idea that it could NEVER happen you YOU. Rethink the way you view disabled people, because you’re one gene or car accident away from living in our shoes, and you would want to be listened to and treated with respect.

[Vessenkestrel]

One of the reasons I met my best friend is that we’ve both had our nervous systems hit pretty hard by autoimmune disorders. He is intersex, and I’m mentioning it here because even though autoimmunity is very common in intersex people, he has a lot of difficulty finding doctors that will take him seriously because of his gender. Especially while living in areas that are not very kind to trans and native people