Background and objectives – The voice is remarkably sensitive to hormonal changes, which can subtly influence its sound at different stages of life. The menstrual cycle is governed by dynamic fluctuations in hormone levels and also exerts a significant influence on mood. Numerous studies have rigorously investigated the effects of the menstrual cycle on vocal characteristics and mood independently, providing compelling evidence for significant phase-related fluctuations driven by hormonal variations. However, most have included a limited task, often restricting it to sustained phonation, without much consideration to more naturalistic speaking conditions and emotional expressions. The aim of the study is to explore the variations in voice characteristics and mood across the different phases of the menstrual cycle and to examine the correlation between these vocal and emotional changes.
Methods – The study recruited females (between 18–29 years) with regular menstrual cycles. Data was collected for five phases (Premenstrual, Menstrual, Follicular, Ovulatory and Luteal), tracked based on day count. Vocal tasks included sustained phonation of /a/, consecutive repetitions of the vowel combination /iu/, CAPE-V sentence expressing six emotions and conversational speech. PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule) was also administered.
Results – Preliminary results revealed an increased fundamental frequency during the menstrual phase and a reduced one during the ovulatory phase. The speaking fundamental frequency was highest during the menstrual phase while expressing the emotion of anger, which could be related to the commonly reported distress in this phase. Auditory perceptual evaluation revealed a maximum deviation of voice in the premenstrual phase.
Conclusion – Overall, a wide range of fluctuations can be observed in the voice, accompanied by corresponding mood changes, across different phases of the cycle.