Marianne Legato

PAIN: Some pain medications (known as kappa-opiates) are far more effective in relieving pain in women than in men.

ANAESTHESIA: Women tend to wake up from anaesthesia more quickly than men.

DRUG REACTIONS: Even common drugs like anti-allergens and antibiotics cause different reactions and side-effects in women and men (for instance, ibuprofen is an effective pain-killer for men, but alsoteron relieves abdominal discomfort in women and not men).

ALCOHOL: Women lack an enzyme in the stomach that breaks alcohol down, so it goes straight into their bloodstream. Men start breaking it down the instant it hits the stomach.

DRUG ABSORPTION: Women’s stomachs empty more slowly than men’s, which affects how quickly drugs are absorbed. They have more body fat in their total body make-up which can affect the way fat-soluble drugs interact with their bodies.

RISKS FOR WOMEN: They are five times as likely as men to get migraines and osteoporosis and much more likely to get diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma.

SUPPLEMENTS: The need for vitamins and minerals varies by gender, too. In general, adults need 1,000 milligrams a day of calcium, but postmenopausal women need 1,500 a day, unless they’re taking estrogen. Men rarely need iron supplements, but menstruating women may. Women of childbearing age may also need 400 micrograms a day of folic acid.