The effect of Estrogen on Vocal Cords????

CoachC
Fri, 24 Aug 2007 08:12:29 +0000

An amendment to what I posted - I asked my more experienced medical colleagues and they said that although it is not common, it IS possible for birth control pills to cause increased vascularity and swelling in the vocal folds - which can then adversely affect singing. The good news is that if this occurs, different pills with a different hormone proportion/combination can be prescribed until the best combination for that person in achieved.

A related and important piece of info: some women also experience vocal fold swelling and related voice difficulty during or just before their menstrual periods, when hormone levels are fluctuating.

LesMis, my colleagues said “definitely tell her to take the meds and then adjust as needed” - because relieving her discomfort is important for her overall physical well-being, which also affects voice. We actually talked about this “trade-off” in another way with a patient today: air conditioning is “objectively” bad for the VOICE (drying), but our BODIES are so much happier and less fatigued when we’re not overheated that air conditioning is usually advisable when people are in perpetually hot environments. However, some singers, including Gladys Knight and Whitney Houston, choose to have their performance spaces be a “dripping hot” as possible - warm and humid - because of the positive affect this has on the voice itself.

There’s ALWAYS more to learn about vocal production!!! ;)

(I’m such a voice geek!!!)