Total hip and total knee replacement surgery are common treatments for end-stage arthritis, a painful condition that limits mobility and diminishes quality of life.
The new study finds that while men tend to have their first total joint replacement at a younger age than women, they are more likely to have complications or need revision surgery.
Study leader Dr. Bheeshma Ravi, an orthopedic surgery resident at the University of Toronto, ON, Canada, and colleagues are presenting their findings this week at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) in Las Vegas. 
For their analysis, the team used data from patients who attended an Ontario hospital for a first total knee or total hip replacement between 2002 and 2009.
The data covered nearly 38,000 total hip replacements, 54% of which were in women, and nearly 60,000 total hip replacements, 60% in women.