Pitch Change In Male‐To‐Female Transsexuals: Has Phonosurgery A Role To Play?

TLDR

Male‑to‑female transsexuals often retain low‑pitched voices after gender‑reassignment surgery, and while voice therapy can improve perceived femininity, it may be insufficient, necessitating laryngeal surgery and prompting further research into outcome variability and long‑term effects. The study evaluated the impact of crico‑thyroid approximation surgery on voice pitch in 14 male‑to‑female transsexuals. The authors performed crico‑thyroid approximation, a laryngeal framework operation, on 14 transsexuals to raise vocal pitch after voice therapy proved insufficient. Surgery significantly increased modal pitch, with substantial inter‑speaker variation, and higher pitch correlated with female gender judgments by speech‑language therapists, indicating crico‑thyroid approximation can raise pitch in male‑to‑female transsexuals.

Abstract

Abstract Male‐to‐female transsexuals, who have undergone gender reassignment surgery, may continue to have low pitched voices. Voice therapy may assist them to use their voice in a manner more likely to be perceived as female but, if this approach is unsuccessful, a laryngeal framework operation may be necessary to raise vocal pitch. This study assessed the effects of crico‐thyroid approximation surgery in 14 transsexuals. Modal pitch was significantly increased by surgery but with substantial variation across speakers. Modal pitch was significantly correlated with judgements of gender by speech and language therapists who listened to tapes of the subjects. The results suggest that crico‐thyroid approximation may be used to raise the pitch of voices of male‐to‐female transsexuals. Further research is needed to clarify the reasons for the variability in outcome, to monitor the longer‐term changes in voice and the impact for clients of their modified voice in real life situations.