A study on sex differences in temporary threshold shift (TTS) considering the menstrual cycle of women

The purpose of the present study was to compare temporary threshold shift (TTS) of women at varying phases of the menstrual cycle, and to compare the TTS of women with TTS of men. The menstrual cycle was divided into three phases: preovulation, postovulation and menstruation. Nine women and seven men were, after 5 min rest, exposed to continuous white noise of 100 dB for 8 min. The audiometry was done with 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 6,000 and 8,000 Hz test tones at 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 min of recovery. The largest threshold shift was found at 6,000 Hz for women and at 4,000 Hz for men. In the three phases of the female menstrual cycle, TTS at 2,000, 3,000 and 4,000 Hz was smaller in the postovulatory phase than in the other two phases. Men showed a larger TTS at 3,000 and 4,000 Hz and a smaller TTS at 6,000 Hz than women in all phases of the menstrual cycle.