Significant Health Differences Between Women and Men

There are profound anatomical, physiological, and hormonal differences between women and men to enable childbearing and breastfeeding in women.

- Dr P.S.VENKATESH RAO

These differences impact various aspects of health, behavior, immune responses, incidence of certain diseases, brain development, cognitive function, bone, and joint problems. Women have narrower airways, smaller rib cage, diaphragm, and lung volumes in proportion to their size; hence, they need more breathing effort, particularly during exercise.

Genetic Differences: The SRY gene of the Y chromosome is crucial for sex determination in humans. It acts as a "switch" that triggers the formation of the testes, leading to the development of a male embryo (XY) instead of a female (XX). The Y chromosome has genes essential for sperm production (spermatogenesis) and male health. It may play a role in some autoimmune diseases and cancer development. The Y chromosome has an accelerated rate of mutation and degradative change compared to other chromosomes. Deletions or mutations in specific regions of the Y chromosome (like the Azoospermia factor AZF) can lead to male infertility. A mixup of chromosomes, such as XXY, or some cells that are XY and some that are XX, or a lack of a chromosome XO, leads to intersex. The Y chromosome has a unique evolutionary history, with a non-recombining region (NRY) used to trace paternal lineages (the male Y chromosome is always from the father) and study human evolution.