Sex of listener and hormonal correlates of auditory thresholds

The present study investigates changes in auditory threshold during 4-6 week intervals for men, women on birth control pills, and normal cycling women not on birth control pills. Thresholds were determined at 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000, 6,000, 8,000 Hz. Normal cycling females had significantly lower thresholds during first half of the menstrual cycle than during the second half. Females on birth control pills showed significantly and consistently lower thresholds than other listeners at several frequencies. Explanations for the phenomena are proposed.