Fundamental frequency in transsexual men in different stages of hormonal treatment

Abstract

The hormonal treatment that transsexual men receive has among its effects the masculinization of the voice. The objective of this research is to measure the median fundamental frequency in speech (Mf(0)) in transsexual men at different stages of their hormonal treatment and to determine the level of correlation between this parameter and the number of doses received. Using Praat, the Mf(0) value of an automatic series of words, its minimum, maximum and range values was obtained. The sample was separated into two groups according to the number of doses of hormones received. Group 1 consisted of subjects with 11 or less doses of testosterone. Group 2 was made up of subjects with 12 or more doses. The values found are comparable with those expected for non-transgender men. No significant differences were found with respect to Mf(0), Mf(0min), Mf(0max) and range, when comparing groups 1 and 2. There is a low correlation between the number of doses and Mf(0). There is an association between hormonal treatment and masculinization of the voice, however, there is no evidence to indicate that the higher the number of doses of hormones there is a greater masculinization of the voice. New research with a larger population is needed to verify these results.