The Effects of a Third Generation Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill on the Classical Singing Voice

Abstract

The success of professional operatic singers depends upon the quality of their vocal mechanism. This is known to be sensitive to changes in the endocrine environment. Despite a widespread belief among singers that vocal quality changes according to the stage of the menstrual cycle, this has received little attention. In particular, the possibility that use of the contraceptive pill might stabilize vocal quality by “dampening” hormonal fluctuations has not previously been studied systematically. Here, we show that drospirenone containing oral contraceptive pill (Yasmin, Schering AG, West Sussex, UK) with antiandrogenic and antimineralocorticoid properties demonstrates a significant reduction in the irregularity of the pattern of vibration of the vocal folds during the performance of highly trained classical singers. This study constitutes the first double blind, randomized placebo controlled trial to assess the effects of the contraceptive pill on the patterns of vibration of the vocal folds during the performance of Western classical singing repertoire.