Influence of Hormonal Changes on Audiologic Examination in Normal Ovarian Cycle Females: An Analytic Study

Abstract

Introduction There is only limited information from previous studies that suggest that auditory function may be influenced by hormones. Recent advances in the field have exposed the potential role of hormones in modulating the auditory system. Objective This study aims to investigate the relationship between menstrual cycle and outer hair cell function with audiological examination. Methods This is an analytic study with a cross-sectional design. The sampling was a systematic random sampling. We found 49 women with normal menstrual cycle and collected their data through interviews, physical examination, and examination of the ear, with otoscopic and other routine otorhinolaryngology examinations. We evaluated Tympanometry, distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE), and pure tone audiometry. Results We found the audiometric threshold worse in the follicular phase than other phases at 4000 Hz of the right ear, and in the ovulation was found best than any other phases at 1000 Hz of the left ear with significant difference. We found significant difference of DPOAE between ovulation time and follicular phase at 3000 Hz and 1000 Hz in the left ear and between ovulation and luteal phased at 2000 Hz, 3000 Hz and 5000 Hz in the right ear and at 1000 Hz in the left ear with p < 0.05. Conclusion The result of this study showed that only a small part of audiometry threshold had a significant difference between each menstrual phase. In other words, we found no correlation between menstrual and audiometry threshold. Nonetheless, there is a correlation between menstrual cycle phase and DPOAE amplitude.

Effect of menstrual cycle on outer hair cells (OHC’s) and efferent auditory pathway in females – An Indian study

“…The probable reason for not obtaining a statistically significant difference in suppression across different phases of menstrual cycle could be the small sample size chosen for the study and also the reason that hormones had very less or no effect on the efferent auditory pathway. Similar studies were carried out by Arruda & Silva in 2008 5 and Adriztina in 2016 19 which revealed the same results as their study says that there is no statistical significance in suppression values that they obtained across different phases of menstrual period or menstruation.…”

Estradiol Protects against Noise-Induced Hearing Loss and Modulates Auditory Physiology in Female Mice

“…Elimination of gonadal steroid hormones via surgical gonadectomy abolishes-and E 2 -replacement re-establishes-an innate relative protection from PTSinducing noise in adult female mice in comparison to males. Additional evidence in humans demonstrating changes in hearing sensitivity and DPOAE amplitudes in preand post-menopausal women also implicate activational effects of E 2 -signaling in the modulation of auditory physiology [76,77].…”

Sex Differences in the Triad of Acquired Sensorineural Hearing Loss

“…Some animal and human studies have demonstrated that women may be protected against hearing loss because of estrogen and its signaling pathways [ 86 , 87 ]. Several clinical reports have observed that the level of estrogen and its derivatives positively influence OAE amplitudes and ABR wave latencies [ 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 ]. Women had subtle fluctuating auditory thresholds during their menstrual cycle phases and their best hearing thresholds were observed at the highest peak of estrogen level [ 92 ].…”

“…Several clinical reports have observed that the level of estrogen and its derivatives positively influence OAE amplitudes and ABR wave latencies [ 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 ]. Women had subtle fluctuating auditory thresholds during their menstrual cycle phases and their best hearing thresholds were observed at the highest peak of estrogen level [ 92 ]. Meanwhile, a more extensive scale study including 1830 postmenopausal women found the association between hearing loss and the serum estradiol level [ 93 ].…”