In the females, the elevated estrogens and progestogens have minimal effect on the voice during puberty. The importance of hormonal influence on the female voice is appreciated during the cyclical changes of the menstrual cycle.
The impact is a permanent deepening of the pitch of the voice. Studies have shown that on average, it is a change of 6.4 semitones. It also enlarges the larynx, also called the voice box, and changes its placement.
As estrogen levels begin to decrease, laryngeal tissues begin to absorb water, causing mucosal edema, vascular congestion, and increase vocal fold mass,4 which can cause a loss of high notes,1,5-9 vocal instability and fatigue,2,3,5-9 uncertainty of pitch,1,2 decreased vocal efficiency,2,3,7-9 and reduced vocal power ...
The most common reported symptoms are dryness, frequent throat clearing, vocal fatigue, roughness, loss of range, and deepening of the voice.
Estrogen deprivation causes substantial changes in the mucous membranes that line the vocal tract. As estrogen levels decrease, laryngeal tissues begin to absorb water causing the vocal folds to swell, blood vessels to become enlarged, and vocal fold mass to increase (Emerich, Hoover.
Clinicians should counsel transgender men that they may or may not experience voice lowering within the first 3 months of testosterone therapy and that the majority of voice deepening will occur within 6-9 months.
This is significant, as some women on testosterone therapy will experience 'hoarseness' or 'voice changes' at some point during treatment and many will assume that testosterone is causative, as will their physician.
Many women believe that taking HRT will make them put on weight, but there's no evidence to support this claim. You may gain some weight during the menopause, but this often happens regardless of whether you take HRT. Exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet should help you to lose any unwanted weight.
Voice therapy can train you to use your voice muscles to adjust pitch so that your voice sounds higher. Generally, vocal pitches greater than 160 Hz are perceived as feminine. The range is from 160 to 315 Hz and above, with 220 Hz as the average pitch. Voice therapy may also include learning other vocal qualities.
What won't change is your bone structure, including the bones of your face as well as your hips, arms, hands, legs and feet. The hair on your body, including your chest, back and arms, will decrease in thickness and grow at a slower rate.
Hormones used in HRT can have associated side effects, including: fluid retention. bloating. breast tenderness or swelling.
Speech perceived to be more feminine typically does not have this, but has more “softness” or what we call light articulatory contact. This entails lightly touching your tongue, lips, and other articulators very gently when producing consonant sounds in conversational speech.
At puberty, guys' bodies begin producing a lot of the hormone testosterone (pronounced: tes-TOSS-tuh-rone), which causes changes in several parts of the body, including the voice.
The body as a whole experiences loss of muscle mass and less lubrication and this leads to a change in your voice sometimes referred to as “post-menopausal vocal syndrome” This includes symptoms such as: dryness. frequent throat clearing. a tendency to suffer more quickly from vocal fatigue.
Oestrogen hormone therapy given to people transitioning into female will not have any effect on the vocal cords or the vocal tract. This can sometimes be disappointing news to some transgender females because they really hope (and understandably so) that it would help to make their voice higher or a bit lighter.
Your eyes and face will begin to develop a more angular, male appearance as facial fat decreases and shifts. Please note that it's not likely your bone structure will change, though some people in their late teens or early twenties may see some subtle bone changes.
It may take a few weeks to feel the effects of treatment and there may be some side effects at first. A GP will usually recommend trying treatment for 3 months to see if it helps. If it does not, they may suggest changing your dose, or changing the type of HRT you're taking.
Does estrogen make your voice higher? Short answer: No. Testosterone makes voice boxes grow, but estrogen doesn't make them shrink. If you've gone through voice deepening, there won't be any big changes.
It is possible to modify your singing pitch range to a certain extent, with or without testosterone. There is some preliminary evidence that a lower dose of testosterone allows for the maintenance of a higher pitch range or easier modification of pitch.
Progesterone has been shown to help shed cells off the vocal fold mucus membranes. Prior to menstruation, secretions and mucus on the vocal folds thicken, the larynx dries out, the voice becomes less agile and range may be affected.
Estrogen causes a typical female fat distribution pattern in breasts, buttocks, and thighs, as well as its more feminizing effects. During the reproductive years, women get additional fat deposition in the pelvis, buttocks, thighs, and breasts to provide an energy source for eventual pregnancy and lactation.
When the ovaries start to produce and release (secrete) estrogen, fat in the connective tissue starts to collect. This causes the breasts to enlarge.