Most conversations about menopause health revolve around things like hot flashes and brain fog, but new research points to another less discussed but no less impactful change to women’s health: voice changes.
All women undergo menopause, which occurs, on average, around age 52 at the point when menstruation stops occurring. In a comprehensive review of existing literature on menopause, researchers shine a spotlight on how menopausal vocal changes are both less understood and potentially more significant for certain women.
“Voice changes during menopause are subtle [and] gradual but for those who use their voice a lot — voice super users — these have massive implications on their daily life and also their profession,” says Rupal Patel, a professor of communication sciences and disorders and director of the Voice of Women Lab at Northeastern University. “Many times the other symptoms of menopause have more attention but voice changes, because they’re subtle and gradual, are not necessarily given the same importance in terms of affecting the individual’s life.”
