Vocal Range in the Speech of Users of Low-Dose Oral Contraceptives.
OBJECTIVE
The study aimed to investigate the vocal range of oral contraceptive (OC) users aged between 20 and 30 years.


METHODS
This is a cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Forty-eight women aged 20-30 years who used low-dose OCs and 24 age-matched women who did not use oral monophasic contraceptives (w/oOC) were enrolled. Acoustic analysis was performed using the Motor Speech Profile program, Model 4341 (Kay Elemetrics Corp). Data were analyzed using generalized estimating equation.


RESULTS
In the w/oOC group, the highest vocal tones in the sentence uttered using exclamatory intonation were similar in the follicular phases of two cycles (F1: 289 ± 46 Hz; F2: 284 ± 61 Hz). In the luteal phase of the first cycle, the vocal tones were lower, whereas in the second cycle they were higher than the tones in both follicular phases (L1: 274 ± 42 Hz; L2: 291 ± 62 Hz) (P = 0.056). In the highest vocal tones of the same sentence uttered using exclamatory intonation, the OC group showed lower tones (284 ± 53 Hz) than the w/oOC group (298 ± 44 Hz) (P = 0.048). In the lowest vocal tones of utterances of joy, the OC group showed higher values (180 ± 39 Hz) than the w/oOC group (169 ± 44 Hz) (P = 0.024). The close proximity of the highest to the lowest values of utterances of joy in the OC group (321 ± 59 Hz and 180 ± 39 Hz), when related to the w/oOC group (338 ± 65 Hz and 169 ± 44 Hz), suggests a reduced vocal modulation.


CONCLUSIONS
The present findings demonstrate that the use of low-dose OCs influences the vocal range of women during menacme.
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Ginecologia e Obstetrícia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Eliséa Maria
EM
Meurer
School of Psychology, Universidade da Região da Campanha, URCAMP/Bagé Campus, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Andressa Dias
AD
Moura
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Ginecologia e Obstetrícia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Department of Preventive and Social Dentistry, Faculdade de Odontologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Leila
L
Rechenberg
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Ginecologia e Obstetrícia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Helena
H
von Eye Corleta
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Ginecologia e Obstetrícia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Excellence Initiative, Department of Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: edcapp@ufrgs.br.
Edison
E
Capp
D000162:Acoustics; D000328:Adult; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003278:Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D014833:Voice Quality / Q000187:drug effects*; D055815:Young Adult
D003276:Contraceptives, Oral; D003278:Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal
Menacme; Menstrual cycles; Oral contraceptives; Sound records; Vocal range