] Researchers, led by Professor Jeffrey Mogil of McGill
] University in Montreal, found that women who possessed
] the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene were able to
] tolerate more pain than either men or women without the
] gene when given the analgesic drug pentazocine.
]
]
] The findings, published in the Proceedings of the
] National Academy of Sciences, confirm the existence of a
] female-specific pain pathway and could ultimately help
] doctors make better choices when prescribing painkillers,
] say the researchers.

I wonder if this is related to the study I read about recently that said red-haired women are harder to anesthesize than others. It's true, too.. I've been told by doctors that I fight certain types of anesthesia. I'm glad to see that red-haired women are getting some press.

Red-hair gene “suppresses pain in women”