Help: Menopause. Effect on the voice?

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: MAG (inactive)
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 08:38 PM

53 sounds good, Bron; I'll be there this year.

HRT -- I use because heart problems run in my family. It is NOT recommended if you have cancer in yours.

and research, research, research before you take it -- if you have a doctor trying to ram it down your throat, change doctors.

the heavy allergens where I live now are a much worse problem for my voice.

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From:
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 07:21 PM

I would definitely see a naturopath if unpleasant symptoms are experienced. I think the default is supposed to be fairly easy...and wonder how many problems are really dietary...particularly now our phobia about fats...better to develop a phobia about white flour and sugar (which I keep trying to do), eat no artificially produced fats, and eat a certain amount of olive oil, flaxseed oil, walnut oil, BUTTER, CREAM and CHOCOLATE and COCONUT. Better yet all at once. A whole lot of ailments, particularly surrounding the hormonal system, are affected by fatty acids, and an excess of insulin/sugar in the blood. And get some sunshine and fresh air. Lack of sunshine and vitamin D is linked to osteoporosis. mg

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: Bert
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 12:37 PM

And be careful with the calcium supplements too, they can cause kidney stones.

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: Llanfair
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 09:50 AM

That's much better!!! My symptoms are easing now, after almost two years. Just remember that it does pass, and it is important to look after yourself, and deal with each discomfort as it arises, using any form of therapy that suits YOU.
Doctors and other therapists cannot know how you feel, so you have to tell them, and don't be fobbed off with universal panacaea to give them a quiet life.
Cheers, Bron.

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: MMario
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 09:21 AM

I am certainly sorry if my comments were in any way taken to trivialize the effects of menopause on women. However I would like to point out that a women going through menopause usually effects a number of other people then herself. It is a difficult thing for men to understand -(heck - we don't do to good a job understanding much about women!) and as I said I am now watching my third generation of women in my family pass through menopause - in a family that undergoes both early onset and protracted duration. (twenty some odd years for both my grandmother and mother)

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: Peg
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 09:14 AM

thanks to those who disagree that hormone replacement therapy is always trhe solution to problems of menopause. It carries its own risks and problems and is known for some bad side effects in some women.

There are a great many holistic solutions to deal with menopause and I would think some of these would help any vocal problems too.

Susan Weed's book "A Wise Woman's Herbal fo the Menopausal Years" offers many herbal remedies for the same problems meant to be helped by HRT; but with NO risks or side effects.

There is also a great book called "Creative Menopause" with lots of meditations, exercises and tips for healthier living.

The impetus behind pushing HRT on every menopausal woman is not all that different from the assumption that a hysterectomy is the most effective way to solve "female problems." IMHO.

Peg

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 04:40 AM

Yes, I noticed the high proportion of men on this thread: I suppose it's because we feel duty-bound to discuss a subject that was not open for discussion by our fathers andf grandfathers--and indeed by our mothers and grandmothers. And because of the high proportion of smart-arses as well ...

If you're concerned about osteoporosis (and you should be, in this man's opinion), you need to start young--get your young teenager daughters into the healthy excercise habit, make them walk to the shops ... OK, I'll get off my male soap-box!

I will pass on this observation, though: since Sue had her hysterectomy and went on to two HRT patches a week, instead of a few fraught days once a month, we now get two fraught evenings every week!

Steve

P.S. And she still can't sing for toffee!

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: katlaughing
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 02:43 AM

I haven't noticed the pausing of men to have any effect on my voice:-) and I went through it fairly early late 30's/early 40's) partly from being spayed when even younger (26). The meds I take for my heart do dry me out a bit, but I also use a saline spray up my nose which helps; over here it's called "Ocean Spray" but the generic is the same stuff and just as good. I agree with the advice to use your voice in singing etc. as much as possible without straining it. Since I've begun to sing regularly for the first time in years, I've noticed my vioce growing stronger and improving, kind of like tuning up an old car that sat in a weed patch. Get the carbs cleaned out, gap the points proper, chang the plugs and listen to that baby hum.**BG**

The best thing you can do for your bones, besides the exeeercises noted above, is not drink any carbonated drinks, i.e. sodas. The carbonation leaches calcium from your bones.

I didn't have much difficulty, just a few months of night sweats and sleeplessness. I did tincture of dandelion root and motherwort in a small bit of spring water, 4-5 times per day and it really got me through the rough patches. I used those herbs off and on for about 2 years.

After researching and writing a piece on where the brand drug "Premarin" came from, pregnant mares' urine, I urged every woman I knew to refuse to use it because of the cruelty and, demand synthetics or other natural alternatives. Fortunately, it seems this has become more mainstream.

I highly recommned Susan Weed's book, Menopausal Years, The Wise Womens' Way.

Men go through menopause(1) / menopause (2) too, it's just not as recognised or talked about.

Good luck,

kat

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: Mudlark
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 02:16 AM

I lost my singing voice when menopause hit....no wonder I was so bitchy for a while. I quit performing, quit even playing my guitar for a long time, but I never quit singing...while doing dishes, in the shower, whenever. And lo and behold, in a year or so it came back. It's deeper now, and range is a tad more limited. But it has gained tremendously in power and strength....when I was younger I had no volume at all...now I can really belt a song out, if needed.

I researched HRT exhaustively and (so far, at least) have decided to go with the finding that taking calcium/magnesium (2:1 ratio, 1000 mg cal./500 mg mag) plus regular load bearing exercise like walking briskly is better protection for bones than anything else, including HRT. And with no bad side effects and lots of good ones.

In a culture that fears age, menopause is a bugbear.....wrong, all wrong. Transition may be difficult, more for some than others, but ultimately it is all about growth and freedom and maturity in the best sense of the word. You go girl!.......just keep singing!

Nancy

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 01:53 AM

As long as you keep it lubricated and excercised, it shouldn't be a problem. If you are worried about HRT for Osteo reasons, drink milk. Nice and thick, it coats the throat, and full of calcium, it will keep your bones doing OK.

Little old ladies are usually afraid to open their mouths and sing properly, because their teeth fall out. Those who sing with a quavery voice, probably don't sing much at all... Listen to Gracie Fields or Vera Lynn (pause to spit over left shoulder) - their voices are/were just as powerful in 1970's as they were in the 1940's. Vera is just as strong now, 20 years after that!

Don't take up smoking, or try and give up if you do already. Avoid singing in smoky bars/houses (the Roy Castle/lung cancer thing - taking deep breaths of other smoke is as bad as doing it yourself). Take it easy on the alcohol, particularly the rough stuff like scotch or gin - that's why Lauren Bacall sounds the way she does - I found a half and half mix of good port and brandy is a nice lubricant, and such a pretty colour.

Your voice might deepen a little, but that's just normal, because as with everything, things take a little longer to bounce back, elasticity goes in all things..... Mine went a bit plummy when I hit puberty.... with practice I can still hit the top B's and C's (that's 2 octaves above middle C) I was getting easily 10 - 15 years ago, but it gets harder the less I do it.

Regular excercise for your larynx is good too, sing regularly, join a choir or a band, or a club where you can sing along. Or just set aside an afternoon each week where you do nothing but sing for 3 hours.

Hope this has been helpful - I'm waiting for mine, reckon I've got another 5 - 8 years to go.....

LTS

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: balladeer
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 12:42 AM

I have found a product called Hydrasense very helpful. Sold over the counter at drugstores, it's desalinated sea water under pressure. You squirt it up your nose and it helps rehydrate and replace the fluids your sinuses stop producing so much of post-fifty. I had lost my voice altogether, then recovered it partially but unpredictably. Now it's the best voice I've ever had, though significantly plummier than when I was a girl. I just used it to record my debut CD (which, BTW, will be released at the Free Times Cafe in Toronto on October 27th). Good luck and good health!

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: Deni
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 12:36 AM

Where have all the women gone? when I worked on a radio prog about the menopause - sorry about the spelling before - the phone lines were screaming with desperate calls frm women. but here it really seems that the men are the new women, as it said in an earlier thread. Seriously though, I've had a low voice since I was eight or nine and now I'm, 39 forever, I just wondered if I'd eventualy end up a bass-baritone!!!! D

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: Art Thieme
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 10:27 PM

I think I hear the difference in Joan Baez's voice. That amazing 20 year old's voice just isn't there now. She does a nice job these days, but that voice when I saw her open a show for Bob Gibson at the Gate Of Horn folk nightclub in Chicago--1959---------she was truly spectacular. And Lauren Bacall's voice is more husky now. It's a natural progression for many/some I suspect. But those of us who recorded when we were young can sure HEAR the difference. Jean Redpath's voice seems to be more expressive now than when she showed up unannounced at the first University Of Chicago Folk Festival in 1961. Then again, Jean Ritchie has the same lovely voice she had when she made her ten-inch LP for Elektra called "Jean Ritchie sings the traditional songs of her Kentucky mountain family". I guess the difference can be found in our genes. (Or should I say our JEANS.) pun intended !!!

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: vectis
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 08:27 PM

My voice has deepened and improved since the menopause. My husband claims it is the cigarettes, whiskey and beer but I reckon it's age. I don't take HRT but may go on it sometime to protect my bones.
I think that if you're noticing changes you don't like get medical help/advice. If, like me, you relish the freedom and are enjoying the changes, then why muck up a good thing?

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: DougR
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 06:45 PM

Sorry I made light of a difficult situation for women, Bron. Just being a smart-ass.

DougR

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: Llanfair
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 05:23 PM

I am amazed by the number of men who have responded to this thread, and not always with any semblance of understanding or empathy.
Guest, HRT is not the cure-all that women are led to believe. Not enough work is done to ensure the right dosage for each person, and it does not allow the natural hormone substitutes to kick in.
And what happens when you stop taking it?
It makes me cross when people make fun of a very natural phase in a woman's life, without knowing how it feels.
I am 53.
Bron.

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: Fiolar
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 01:49 PM

I don't know about the "menapause" but the "menopause" does have some bodily effects. :-)

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: MMario
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 01:33 PM

Now going through my third generation of menapausal woman in my family- haven't heard any of them complain about effects on their voices - and several sing - at least for pleasure.

On the other hand the men in the family definately feel that menapause adds a certain "edge" to the ladies voices. One we have all learned to avoid in one way or another.

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: GUEST,guest
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 01:11 PM

1. Almost all post-menopausal women should take replacement hormones. Check with your doctor and read reliable literature, and you'll see. Hormones keep many parts of your body young, and probably the voice, too.

2. Keep singing. Sing around the house and in the shower.

3. Drink water and/or fruit juice. Alcohol, chocolate and caffeine dry your throat up.

4. Heredity has something to do with it. My mother had a sweet, girlish voice till age 75. A friend of mine, on the other hand, had an old woman's voice at 60.

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 12:12 PM

I don't think the hormone changes will affect the larynx as it's fully grown: it won't start to shrink. (On the other hand, you may get hairier legs!) There's always HRT, if that's suitable for you. Ask you doctor, s/he probably won't have a clue though.

Come on. there must be some post-menopausal singers on the 'Cat--we chaps promis not to look at your names when we read your posts!

Steve

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: kendall
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 11:19 AM

hhmmm, come to think of it, I dont remember when I had a period. When I quit smoking, I noticed that my voice had relaxed and I could sing a bit lower than before. Now, since te operation, I never know if I can sing at all.

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: nutty
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 09:43 AM

I suppose the voice should really get deeper as there is a depleted amount of female hormones in the body ????

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: SINSULL
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 08:39 AM

The screaming tantrums tend to leave me a little raspy but other than that...

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: Jim Hancock
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 04:45 AM

Whatever the solution to dry vocal chords is it's not alcohol, it tightens up the vocal chords, consider what it does to other bits of the anatomy for a comparison. I find acidic fruit juices etc. to be less than beneficial also. Try tomato juice or drinks of similar consitancy. all the best jim

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: Llanfair
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 04:00 AM

It's essential to keep the throat well lubricated.....alcohol works very well!!!!
Seriously, I noticed more changes when I stopped smoking 2 years ago, I can sing a tone or two higher now. I think there is a little drying out, but that is easily dealt with,
Cheers, Bron.

Subject: RE: Help: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: DougR
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 02:48 AM

It didn't affect me that much, Deni. :>)

DougR

Subject: Menapause. Effect on the voice?
From: Deni
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 02:13 AM

I was reading that the menapause can affect the voice. Anyone noticed any problems? How do you overcome them? D