Hitting the High Notes

Your voice on menopause

For the love of estrogen, is there no end to the weird symptoms women have to endure in midlife? Today’s edition of Can We Talk About This? deals with our voice.

Metaphorically, women’s “voices” around peri- and menopause have been ignored for centuries. Finally the volume is being turned up. Whether it’s the unfair mental load of family life, the endless decision fatigue, the professional mommy tax, or the lack of useful information and professionals armed with it… all of it is finally being invited into the mainstream.

But just as our metaphorical voice is being legitimately acknowledged, I’ve learned that our actual voices will drop and fade. Yes, another strange-and-never-talked-about side effect of “the change” is that our actual speaking voices get lower.

I went to see sleep specialist last year. Long story short: I suck at sleeping. I wanted it to improve. I had no idea she’d declare I have acid reflux.

Despite my surprise, it made sense. I’ve noticed lately that I have a bit of a rasp to my voice, especially in my lower register— a vocal “fry”. Turns out, even though I’m asymptomatic for reflux, some amount of it is clearly irritating my vocal chords which were red upon her examination.

She suggested Pepcid. I’m not doing it. The last thing I need is another pill. I’ll just channel my inner Kathleen Turner.

Hello, boys.

Driving home, I heard Stevie Knicks on the radio. Her voice sounded deeper than usual. It got me thinking. One thing led to another and down the rabbit hole I fell. Turns out, I wasn’t crazy: women’s voices get deeper with age. In fact, we can drop an entire octave!

While boys’ pubescent voice change is an obvious sign of increased testosterone as they morph into men, women’s deepening voices often go unnoticed in real time. Our vocal change is more slow and slight, and it may not be until many years have passed that we realize the difference between our then voice to our now voice.

This is why some professional singers hang it up right around midlife—the high notes get harder to hit.

Let’s discuss the biology:

Good ol’ estrogen and progesterone — the erratic dynamic duo are at it again with their influence on vocal cord tissues. When they go all wonky, some common changes include:

• A lower pitch (women’s voices may sound huskier)

• Less vocal range, especially in higher registers (someone warn Mariah)

• Dryness or hoarseness, due to reduced lubrication here, too!

• Fatigue when speaking for long periods (personally, I haven’t experienced this, but my husband is hopeful)

If you’re trying to stave off the change because you’re a singer, voiceover artist, or maybe you just want to hold onto something, anything from your youth, there are a few things you could try:

1. Hydrate. Don’t let the chords dry out. Also, consider a humidifier in winter.

2. Use ‘em so you don’t lose ‘em. Sing a little daily.

3. Warm up. Always do vocal warm ups to keep them stretchy and resilient.

4. Chill. Don’t yell or whisper-yell (a favorite way to scare my kids). Too much strain.

5. Clean living. Alcohol, caffeine, and smoking are no bueno for the chords.

6. Find a doc. Check your reflux, and if you notice major vocal changes, consult a laryngologist. (Also, try to pronounce laryngologist…lahr-ring-gol-o-gist)

Control what you can; forget what you can’t

Aging isn’t always easy. We have to let go of high expectations sometimes. But, it still beats the alternative.

So, my midlife beauties, if you’ve always wanted a voice like Demi Moore, you’re in luck. It may be on the way!

---

Recommendations are life 💗

Ladies, if you enjoy this pub, consider becoming a paid subscriber.

If that’s not your thing, you can help us grow by commenting and sharing this post.

If you’re a real pal, you can recommend it on your own page—not sure how? This will walk you though. It’s easy and takes less than a minute. Thank you!