Along these lines, a great deal of research now looks at the relationship between hormonal voice changes and health. Dr. Yael Bensoussan, who runs the USF Voice Center, notes that 60% of women going through menopause report voice changes, and while some women don’t care that their voice sounds a little deeper or raspier, for some women, this has a significant impact on quality of life, and mood. These voice changes can cause someone to change the way they breathe, develop a persistent cough, and adopt clavicular breathing techniques that, when utilized for prolonged periods, can lead to increased head, shoulder, and neck muscle tension. She is also researching using AI to analyze changes in the voice that can be used as a predictor and marker of estrogen levels. More to come on this - I hope to get Dr. Bensoussan on a future podcast episode!
Great post! My area of expertise is menopause. It is well known that post menopause women’s voices change as a result of estrogen deprivation, which can be career ending for singers, voice over artist, etc. in addition to using systemic estrogen to prevent those voice changes, in many ENT clinics, a compounded estradiol nasal spray is used to protect the larynx. This is also the reason that sleep apnea increases post menopause and that some women get voice changes from post menopause testosterone therapy. I have a podcast episode called menopause and The Voice, which goes through all of this information. Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information. I’m new to substack and migrating my podcast etc here.
Ok, I love this post! As a menopausal woman, I think it's so critical for us to understand these shifts and changes because how we present ourselves in the workplace is completely impacted by our hormones and our voices. A colleague of mine, Alicia Dara (EIC of Womancake Magazine) teaches power voice training for midlife female executives and so many of us are struggling with the issues you highlight. For my part, I'm going to keep singing with a women's group because it just gives me joy, but knowing the right warm-ups and protective measures seems more important than ever now that I'm in my mid-50s.
I can't say I've ever been much of a singer, or paid all that much attention to my voice, but I have noticed in the past year or so, that sometimes my voice feels like it gets stuck - as though I have to really clear my throat to be able to speak and sometimes drink a sip of water. And the timbre of my voice has shifted as well. I had chocked this all up to perimenopause, but I will be paying closer attention to my cycle and how it relates to my voice. Honestly, I would have never thought of this connection before; thank you for pointing it out!
How fascinating! This is extremely insightful as to why I feel like staying silent sometimes vs. wanting to chatter away. I think the urge to sing, like you said in the car or the shower, is the ultimate indicator for me of where I am in my cycle. Being in perimenopause makes it very hard to know sometimes so I could use this as a marker instead. Let's just say for today I feel like my period is coming.
Along these lines, a great deal of research now looks at the relationship between hormonal voice changes and health. Dr. Yael Bensoussan, who runs the USF Voice Center, notes that 60% of women going through menopause report voice changes, and while some women don’t care that their voice sounds a little deeper or raspier, for some women, this has a significant impact on quality of life, and mood. These voice changes can cause someone to change the way they breathe, develop a persistent cough, and adopt clavicular breathing techniques that, when utilized for prolonged periods, can lead to increased head, shoulder, and neck muscle tension. She is also researching using AI to analyze changes in the voice that can be used as a predictor and marker of estrogen levels. More to come on this - I hope to get Dr. Bensoussan on a future podcast episode!
Thank you for adding your insights! Keep up the great work!
Great post! My area of expertise is menopause. It is well known that post menopause women’s voices change as a result of estrogen deprivation, which can be career ending for singers, voice over artist, etc. in addition to using systemic estrogen to prevent those voice changes, in many ENT clinics, a compounded estradiol nasal spray is used to protect the larynx. This is also the reason that sleep apnea increases post menopause and that some women get voice changes from post menopause testosterone therapy. I have a podcast episode called menopause and The Voice, which goes through all of this information. Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information. I’m new to substack and migrating my podcast etc here.
That is awesome that you studied this! DM me. Maybe we can collab to create a fuller picture for our readers?
Now I just have to figure out how to DM on substack…
It's in the chat section. You can select all or direct message.
Ok, I love this post! As a menopausal woman, I think it's so critical for us to understand these shifts and changes because how we present ourselves in the workplace is completely impacted by our hormones and our voices. A colleague of mine, Alicia Dara (EIC of Womancake Magazine) teaches power voice training for midlife female executives and so many of us are struggling with the issues you highlight. For my part, I'm going to keep singing with a women's group because it just gives me joy, but knowing the right warm-ups and protective measures seems more important than ever now that I'm in my mid-50s.
I can't say I've ever been much of a singer, or paid all that much attention to my voice, but I have noticed in the past year or so, that sometimes my voice feels like it gets stuck - as though I have to really clear my throat to be able to speak and sometimes drink a sip of water. And the timbre of my voice has shifted as well. I had chocked this all up to perimenopause, but I will be paying closer attention to my cycle and how it relates to my voice. Honestly, I would have never thought of this connection before; thank you for pointing it out!
How fascinating! This is extremely insightful as to why I feel like staying silent sometimes vs. wanting to chatter away. I think the urge to sing, like you said in the car or the shower, is the ultimate indicator for me of where I am in my cycle. Being in perimenopause makes it very hard to know sometimes so I could use this as a marker instead. Let's just say for today I feel like my period is coming.
Wow ! I learned a lot