Postmenopausal women exhibited lower vocal frequency and perceptually lower grade, roughness, and strain compared with their premenopausal counterparts, based on the results of a study published in Ear, Nose & Throat Journal by Sidika Deniz Yalım, MD, of Adana City Training and Research Hospital, Turkey, and colleagues.
“Women in menopause have a variety of symptoms as a result of hormonal changes, which can have a substantial influence on their daily lives…,” the investigators explained. Nevertheless, they emphasized that the observed postmenopausal voice changes did not translate into a diminished quality of life.
Study Details
The study enrolled 50 postmenopausal women who had not received hormone therapy, as well as 50 premenopausal control group participants, all of whom were aged 45 to 60 years and visited the Otorhinolaryngology Clinic at Adana City Training and Research Hospital between August 1, 2024, and October 1, 2024.
Participants underwent both objective and subjective voice assessment methods to evaluate vocal quality and function, including acoustic voice analyses (fundamental frequency [F0], jitter [defined as variations of F0], shimmer [defined as variations of peak amplitude], harmonic-to-noise ratio, and noise-to-harmonic ratio), perceptual evaluation using the Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, and Strain (GRBAS; each word corresponds to a letter and is scored separately) scale, self-assessment with the Turkish version of the Voice Handicap Index–10 (VHI-10; for voice-related quality of life) questionnaire, and laryngeal examination. Across all voice analysis measures, higher scores indicated poorer outcomes.
Key Findings
Postmenopausal women demonstrated significantly lower scores for F0, G, R, and S. Age was found to be significantly correlated with G, R, A, S, and F0. No statistically significant differences were observed in VHI-10, jitter, shimmer, harmonic-to-noise ratio, or noise-to-harmonic ratio values.
The investigators concluded, “[The observed] decrease in the F0, G, and R scores can be attributed to edema of the vocal folds, while [the] decrease in the S score can be the result of atrophy of the thyroarytenoid muscle, leading to a softer and weaker voice in postmenopausal women. Our understanding may be correct, but more studies are needed, particularly focusing on laryngeal cytological aspects in postmenopausal women using vocal epithelium smears and examining the presence of gender hormone receptors in the female larynx.”
Continuing, they stated, “Aging may affect the voice of women. Aged women’s voices may have lower frequencies, resulting in a weaker voice. However, vocal alterations are not to be associated with the quality of life of postmenopausal women.”
Sidika Deniz Yalım, MD, of Adana City Training and Research Hospital, Turkey, is the corresponding author of the article in Ear, Nose & Throat Journal.
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
Source: Ear, Nose & Throat Journal