Feminization Laryngoplasty: Surgical Therapy

Abstract

The current chapter discusses the feminization laryngoplasty technique as the surgical therapy. People looking for an alleged gender identity disorder (GID) must begin a complex path. The fundamental purpose of the standards of care is to articulate the consensus among different organized professionals to management regarding psychological, medical, and surgical treatment of GID. These standards provide guidance for professional practice, providing the minimum requirements for the treatment procedure. The perceived pitch of the laryngeal fundamental has long been accepted as an acoustic cue to speaker's sex. Thus, for male-to female transsexuals, in order to be perceived as female voice, fundamental frequency must change. The therapy is more simple when we transform a voice from female to male gender testosterone administration produces an increase in the volume of the vocal cords and a consequent lowering of the voice, which normally follows a speech therapy rehabilitation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)