Primary reasons

One primary reason why gallbladder symptoms in women are more commonplace is due to physiological differences between men and women.

First, women normally have slower gall bladder emptying than men, an effect that may seem to be amplified during pregnancy and may very well be one reason why so many women suffer from gall stone formation after giving birth.

Second, gallstones affect more women than man because of the effects of estrogen and progesterone. Women secrete high levels of the hormone called progesterone during the second half of the menstrual cycle. This hormone is associated with delaying muscle contractions. During pregnancy, estrogen is also present in high levels as it helps to maintain pregnancy and stimulates the process of fetal maturation.

Both estrogen and progesterone affect the handling of cholesterol in women, a factor that often leads to abnormally high concentrations of cholesterol in the bile and decreased gallbladder movement.

The primary function of the gall bladder is to serve as a reservoir for bile used for the digestion of food, mainly fat in the intestines. But when there is infrequent emptying of the gall bladder as it is with women, and that bile is saturated with excessive cholesterol during certain periods, it causes the cholesterol and other substances found in bile to crystallize or harden. The end result is cholesterol gallstones, which account for approximately 80% of all gallstones, or pigment gallstones which is 20%. Gallstones can vary in size from a grain of sand to larger sizes.