Changes in pure-tone thresholds and temporary threshold shifts as a function of menstrual cycle and oral...

The present study examined the effects of exogenous and endogenous ovarian hormones on auditory functioning in young women. Fluctuations in pure tone thresholds and temporary threshold shifts (TTS) at 4 kHz and 6 kHz were assessed across the menstrual cycle. A group of normally cycling, ovulatory women and a group of women using Ortho Novum 7/7/7, a tri-phasic oral contraceptive, were tested during menstruation, at ovulation, and during the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle. A group of men served as controls and were tested at 3 similarly spaced intervals. Only the normally cycling women had significant cyclic fluctuations in auditory sensitivity, displaying poorer thresholds at 4 kHz during the menstrual phase than at the time of ovulation or during the luteal phase. In addition, normally cycling women were found to have significantly less TTS at 6 kHz during the menstrual phase than women using oral contraceptives.