Progestin negatively affects hearing in aged women

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Endocrinology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Female hormone influence on auditory system aging is not fully understood.
• Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is widely used, necessitating study of its sensory system effects.
• Understanding HRT's impact on hearing is crucial for postmenopausal women's health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare hearing abilities in postmenopausal women using different HRT regimens.
• To investigate the specific effects of estrogen and progestin (E+P) versus estrogen alone (E) on auditory function.
• To evaluate HRT's impact on peripheral and central auditory processing.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 124 postmenopausal women (60-86 years old).
• Groups included E+P HRT, E-alone HRT, and non-HRT (NHRT) controls, matched for age and health.
• Hearing assessments: pure-tone audiometry, tympanometry, otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), and hearing-in-noise test (HINT).

Main Results:

• The E+P group exhibited poorer pure-tone thresholds compared to E and NHRT groups.
• Distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) were significantly worse in the E+P group.
• The E+P group demonstrated impaired speech perception in noise and quiet on the HINT.

Conclusions:

• Progestin in HRT is associated with poorer hearing in aged women.
• HRT with progestin negatively affects both peripheral and central auditory systems.
• Progestin component of HRT may interfere with speech perception in noisy environments.