Female voice during pregnancy and postpartum period

Abstract

The endocrine system is a complex feedback process and hormones communicate signals with receptors located in target organs. The squamous epithelium of the vocal fold mucosa and cervix have been found to give similar responses to sex hormones [1]. This is possibly because both types of tissues have estrogen, progesterone and androgen receptors. The larynx, in this sense, is highly responsive, especially to sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone and androgens) [2]. As a major target organ, larynx-and its functional output voice-is affected by hormonal changes [3, 4, 6]. Hormonal equilibrium problems will inevitably deteriorate the biomechanical properties of the vocal fold tissue and result in irregularities in the oscillatory patterns of the vocal fold mucosa [7].