The short answer
Yes, women do get motion sickness more than men: 27.3% of women report susceptibility against 16.8% of men in survey research, about 1.6 times the rate. Studies find the gap at sea and in VR too, though one study of 376 student pilots found no significant difference in how often women and men got airsick. Three explanations are proposed: hormonal fluctuation across the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and perimenopause; differences in how conflicting visual and vestibular signals are integrated; and an evolutionary hypothesis about heightened sensitivity during pregnancy.
If you're a woman who dreads car rides, boat trips, or flights because of motion sickness, you're not alone, and you're not imagining things. Survey research consistently finds women more susceptible to motion sickness than men: 27.3% of women report susceptibility against 16.8% of men, about 1.6 times the rate.
1.6x
More likely to report motion sickness than men
27.3% of women against 16.8% of men in survey research. Studies at sea and in VR find a gap too.
Sharma 1997 survey figures, the same the condition pages cite; background susceptibility literature (Park and Hu; Klosterhalfen et al.) listed in full below.
- Women27.3%
- Men16.8%
Share reporting motion sickness susceptibility in survey research (Sharma 1997), the same figures the condition pages cite.
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The gap, setting by setting
The 1.6x figure comes from one 1997 survey. Studies of specific settings find a gap at sea and in VR, and one setting where it did not appear: getting airsick during pilot training.
| Setting and measure | Women | Men | Study |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey: say they are prone to motion sickness | 27.3% | 16.8% | Sharma and Aparna, 1997, 535 people |
| Sea: research scientists who get seasick at least sometimes | 91.7% | 80.8% | Lucas et al., 2020, 223 people |
| Sea: civilian sailors who get seasick | 60% | 31% | Jan Le Cloirec et al., 2024, 119 people, only 10 of them women |
| Air: student pilots airsick during basic flight training | No significant difference | No significant difference | Lucertini et al., 2008, 376 people, 34.8% airsick overall |
| Air: student pilots slow to adapt to airsickness | 12.5% | 3.3% | Lucertini et al., 2008, same 376 people |
| VR: average sickness score right after a headset session (SSQ) | 52.11 | 24.93 | Stanney et al., 2020, 30 people |
Why are women more prone to motion sickness?
Nobody has settled the cause yet. Three explanations are proposed, and the first three numbered sections below take each in turn: hormone shifts across the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and perimenopause; differences in how the brain weighs conflicting visual and balance signals; and evolutionary or genetic factors.
1. Hormonal fluctuations
One of the most significant factors contributing to women's increased susceptibility to motion sickness is hormonal fluctuation. Estrogen and progesterone levels change throughout the menstrual cycle, during pregnancy, and with hormone replacement therapy, all of which can affect the vestibular system's sensitivity to motion.
2. Brain structure and processing differences
How the brain combines visual and balance signals may differ between women and men, and that difference may add to women's motion sensitivity.
| What differs | What the research suggests |
|---|---|
| Vestibular processing | Women's brains may process conflicting sensory signals (visual vs. vestibular) differently, leading to greater motion sensitivity. |
| Spatial navigation | Research suggests women rely more heavily on landmark-based navigation, while men use spatial relationships, which may affect motion adaptation. |
| Sensory integration | Women often have more sensitive sensory processing, which can make the conflicting signals that cause motion sickness more pronounced. |
3. Evolutionary and genetic factors
Some researchers propose evolutionary explanations for women's increased motion sensitivity. Throughout human evolution, women who were more sensitive to potentially harmful substances or situations (including unusual motion patterns) may have had survival advantages, particularly during pregnancy.
| Evolutionary theory | Genetic factors |
|---|---|
| Enhanced sensitivity protected pregnant women | X-chromosome linked motion sensitivity genes |
| Motion sickness shares pathways with morning sickness | Variations in neurotransmitter receptors |
| Heightened nausea response avoided toxins | Different histamine response patterns |
| Genetic variations favor caution in women | Inherited vestibular system differences |
4. When women are most vulnerable
Knowing when you are most susceptible makes it easier to plan trips around the riskier days. Hormonal fluctuations create predictable patterns of increased sensitivity.
| Period | Level | Why |
|---|---|---|
| During pregnancy | High | Especially first trimester when hormone levels fluctuate dramatically |
| Menstrual cycle days 1 to 7 | Medium | During menstruation when estrogen levels are lowest |
| Perimenopause | Medium | When hormone levels become unpredictable |
| Post-menopause | Low | When hormone levels stabilize at lower levels |
Drug-free options worth knowing
None of the options here is made for women in particular. For ginger, wristbands and the rest, the remedy verdicts show which have been tested and how they did.
Dizzout's sound therapy works through precisely calibrated audio played on any headphones. It uses no medication.
- Drug-free, so there is nothing to interact with medication you already take
- Relief in about 90 seconds
- No drowsiness
- Works with any headphones, wired or Bluetooth
- Pregnant or breastfeeding? Read our pregnancy informational guide and talk to your doctor before starting anything new
Additional tips for women
These habits can help women manage motion sensitivity alongside any remedy:
| Habit | What to do |
|---|---|
| Track your cycle | Note when you're most sensitive to motion and plan travel accordingly when possible. |
| Hormone considerations | Discuss motion sensitivity with your doctor, especially if you're on hormone therapy or birth control. |
| Pregnancy travel | Travel during the second trimester when possible, and discuss drug-free options with your obstetrician. |
What research is testing next
Researchers are still testing why the gap exists, from hormone profiles to genetics, and nothing is settled yet.
Related reading
- The science of how Dizzout works, the vestibular mechanism behind every kind of motion sickness.
- Motion sickness during pregnancy, an informational guide for safe options to discuss with your doctor.
- What is motion sickness?, definition, symptoms, and why your brain reads sensory mismatch as a poisoning signal.
- Motion sickness glossary, vestibular system, otolith organs, sensory mismatch, and other terms explained.
- Drug-free motion sickness options compared, sound therapy vs Dramamine vs Sea-Bands vs ginger.
Drug-free, whatever your cycle is doing
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Frequently asked questions
Do women get motion sickness more than men?
Yes, in most studies. A 1997 survey of 535 people found 27.3% of women and 16.8% of men say they are prone to motion sickness, about 1.6 times the rate. The gap shows at sea: 91.7% of women and 80.8% of men working on research vessels get seasick at least sometimes. It shows in VR: in a 30-person study, women's average sickness score after a headset session was about twice men's. It did not show in one setting: among 376 military student pilots, there was no significant difference in how often women and men got airsick, though more women were slow to adapt (12.5% vs 3.3%).
Why are women more prone to motion sickness than men?
The cause is not settled, and three explanations are proposed. First, hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, perimenopause, and hormone therapy shift susceptibility, though in one study the swing across the cycle was only about a third of the overall gap. Second, the brain may weigh conflicting visual and vestibular signals differently in women, so the mismatch behind motion sickness may register more strongly. Third, evolutionary biologists hypothesize that heightened sensitivity to motion and unusual sensory input may have offered a survival advantage during pregnancy, when avoiding toxins is critical.
How does the menstrual cycle affect motion sickness?
In a small study of 12 women, susceptibility was highest around day 5 of the cycle, during menstruation, and lowest around day 26, just before the next period. The swing was small: about a third of the overall gap between women and men, so the cycle cannot explain the whole difference. Tracking your cycle alongside any travel nausea is the easiest way to see your own pattern.
Does hormone replacement therapy (HRT) make motion sickness worse?
It may. HRT changes your estrogen and progesterone levels, and hormone shifts are one proposed reason women are more prone to motion sickness than men. If your motion sensitivity changes after you start or adjust HRT, tell the doctor managing your therapy before changing anything.
Is motion sickness worse during pregnancy?
It can be. The CDC Yellow Book lists pregnancy among the hormonal factors that correlate with motion sickness susceptibility in women, and motion sickness in pregnancy can overlap with morning sickness, which makes the two hard to tell apart. Most motion sickness medications carry pregnancy warnings, so talk to your obstetrician first, before you start anything new.
What about perimenopause and menopause?
Perimenopause is when hormone levels become most unpredictable, and hormonal factors correlate with motion sickness susceptibility in women, so a change in your pattern around then would not be surprising. Across all adults, susceptibility declines on average through adulthood to old age, according to the CDC Yellow Book, but the average does not hold for everyone, so tracking your own trips is the better guide.
Does the vestibular system actually work differently in women?
The hardware, the inner ear's semicircular canals and otolith organs, is essentially the same. What differs is sensitivity (modulated by hormones) and the way the brain integrates conflicting signals. Women's brains tend to weight sensory input slightly differently, which can make the visual-vestibular mismatch behind motion sickness register more strongly.
What actually stops motion sickness once it starts?
Once nausea has begun, most tablets are less useful, because they are designed to be taken before travel as prevention. One drug-free option is sound therapy delivered through any headphones. Dizzout plays precisely calibrated audio, with relief in about 90 seconds.
Should I see a doctor about motion sickness?
Ordinary motion sickness, even severe, clears once the motion stops. See a doctor if symptoms persist for hours after you've stopped moving, come with hearing loss or ringing, include severe headaches, or appear without any obvious motion. Those signs can point to a vestibular condition (BPPV, vestibular migraine, Meniere's disease) that needs clinical evaluation rather than a motion-sickness remedy.
Someone you know gets motion sick?
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Your next question, probably
How prone are you, really?
The 2-minute susceptibility test
Not your question? Pregnant and travelling?What actually has evidence?Feeling it right now?
About this article
- Park AH, Hu S. Gender differences in motion sickness history and susceptibility. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine.
- Klosterhalfen S, Kellermann S, Pan F, et al. Effects of ethnicity and gender on motion sickness susceptibility. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine.
- Grunfeld E, Gresty MA. Relationship between motion sickness, migraine and menstruation in crew members of a round the world yacht race. Brain Research Bulletin.
- Cleveland Clinic. Motion sickness.
- NHS UK. Motion sickness overview.
- CDC Yellow Book. Motion sickness.
- Sharma K, Aparna. Prevalence and correlates of susceptibility to motion sickness. Acta Geneticae Medicae et Gemellologiae, 1997;46(2):105-121.
- Lucas D, Mehaneze M, Lodde B, Jegaden D. Seasickness and its impact on researchers' work on board French oceanographic vessels. International Maritime Health, 2020;71(3):160-165.
- Jan Le Cloirec M, Lucas D, Lodde B, et al. The prevalence of seasickness in a population of French civilian sailors. International Maritime Health, 2024;75(3):147-154.
- Lucertini M, Lugli V, Casagrande M, Trivelloni P. Effects of airsickness in male and female student pilots: adaptation rates and 4-year outcomes. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 2008;79(7):677-684.
- Stanney K, Fidopiastis C, Foster L. Virtual reality is sexist: but it does not have to be. Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 2020;7:4.
- Golding JF, Kadzere P, Gresty MA. Motion sickness susceptibility fluctuates through the menstrual cycle. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 2005;76(10):970-973.
This article is informational and not a substitute for medical advice. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or on hormone therapy, talk to your doctor before starting anything new.
