Voice and Speech Changes in Transmasculine Individuals Following Circumlaryngeal Massage and Laryngeal Reposturing

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure the short-term effects of circumlaryngeal massage and laryngeal reposturing on acoustic and perceptual characteristics of voice in transmasculine individuals. Method: Fifteen transmasculine individuals underwent one session of sequential circumlaryngeal massage and laryngeal reposturing with a speech-language pathologist. Voice recordings were collected at three time points-baseline, postmassage, and postreposturing. Fundamental frequency (f(o)), formant frequencies, and relative fundamental frequency (RFF; an acoustic correlate of laryngeal tension) were measured. Estimates of vocal tract length (VTL) were derived from formant frequencies. Twelve listeners rated the perceived masculinity of participants' voices at each time point. Repeated-measures analyses of variance measured the effect of time point on f(o), estimated VTL, RFF, and perceived voice masculinity. Significant effects were evaluated with post hoc Tukey's tests. Results: Between baseline and end of the session, f(o) decreased, VTL increased, and participant voices were perceived as more masculine, all with statistically significant differences. RFF did not differ significantly at any time point. Outcomes were highly variable at the individual level. Conclusion: Circumlaryngeal massage and laryngeal reposturing have short-term effects on select acoustic (f(o), estimated VTL) and perceptual characteristics (listener-assigned voice masculinity) of voice in transmasculine individuals.

Automated summary

The aim of this study was to examine the short-term effects of circumlaryngeal massage and laryngeal reposturing on the voice characteristics of transmasculine individuals. The results showed that after the session, the fundamental frequency decreased, the vocal tract length increased, and the voices were perceived as more masculine. However, there was considerable individual variability in the outcomes.