The Effects of Menopause on Vocal Folds’ Vibratory Characteristics of Female Professional Voice Users
Introduction Menopause has been associated with changes in the vocal folds; however, whether these changes impact on vocal folds’ oscillation and collision patterns is still unknown. Materials and Methods Phonation and collision threshold pressures (PTP and CTP, respectively) were compared between p...
| Autores: | , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia |
| Repositorio: | e-spacio. Repositorio Institucional de la UNED |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:e-spacio.uned.es:20.500.14468/30120 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14468/30120 |
| Access Level: | acceso embargado |
| Palabra clave: | 58 Pedagogía Female professional voice users Vocal folds’ oscillation patterns Phonation threshold pressure Collision threshold pressure |
| Sumario: | Introduction Menopause has been associated with changes in the vocal folds; however, whether these changes impact on vocal folds’ oscillation and collision patterns is still unknown. Materials and Methods Phonation and collision threshold pressures (PTP and CTP, respectively) were compared between premenopausal and postmenopausal female professional voice users (FPVUs), allocated into levels 1 and 2 according to professional use of their voice (ie, singers/singing teachers and schoolteachers, respectively). Audio, electroglottographic, and intraoral pressure signals were recorded while participants performed diminuendo sequences on the syllable /pa/ at pitches A3, E4, and A4. Hormonal profiles and self-perceived voice symptoms were also assessed. Results Voice-related menopausal symptoms were self-perceived as mild in postmenopausal FPVUs. No statistically significant differences in PTP and CTP were found between professional groups for the interaction between reproductive status (ie, premenopausal and postmenopause) and professional level (ie, singers/singing teachers and schoolteachers) for any of the analyzed pitches, despite significant differences in concentrations of pituitary hormones and estradiol. No significant correlations between hormones and voice metrics could be found. Conclusions The increasing numbers of menopausal FPVUs and the great individuality in degree of severity of menopause-related voice symptoms justify further investigations, including professional voice users, especially those complaining of more severe menopause-related voice symptoms. |
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