Is there any difference in hearing function between surgical and natural menopause?

This study was designed to examine cochlear function in surgical postmenopausal women and natural menopause. Three groups, each including 20 patients, were formed: surgical menopause (SM), natural menopause (NM), and healthy controls who had not yet gone through menopause. Conventional audiometry (0.125-8 kHz), ultra-high frequency audiometry (10-16 kHz), and otoacoustic emission (OAE) tests were used in the evaluation of the patients. Almost all the hearing thresholds were significantly poorer in the menopause groups than in the control group (p < .05). However, the amplitudes of the healthy controls were higher in transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs), especially in many frequencies of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) (p < .05). In the SM group, all the frequencies between 0.125 and 10 kHz for the right ear, and 1, 2, 6 and 8 kHz air-conduction hearing thresholds for the left ear were significantly poorer compared to the NM group (p < .05). There was also a significant decrease in the 4, 6, and 8 kHz DPOAE amplitudes of the SM group compared to the NM group (p < .05). This study showed that postmenopausal women, in particular those with SM had significantly poorer hearing thresholds and lower OAE amplitudes. Menopause may be a potential risk factor for the development of hearing loss in women.