Longitudinal Changes in Pitch-Related Acoustic Characteristics of the Voice Throughout the Menstrual Cycle: Observational Study

Abstract BackgroundIdentifying subtle changes in the menstrual cycle is crucial for effective fertility tracking and understanding reproductive health. ObjectiveThe aim of the study is to explore how fundamental frequency features vary between menstrual phases usin...

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Main Authors: Jaycee Kaufman, Jouhyun Jeon, Jessica Oreskovic, Anirudh Thommandram, Yan Fossat
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: JMIR Publications 2025-01-01
Series:JMIR Formative Research
Online Access:https://formative.jmir.org/2025/1/e65448
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author Jaycee Kaufman
Jouhyun Jeon
Jessica Oreskovic
Anirudh Thommandram
Yan Fossat
author_facet Jaycee Kaufman
Jouhyun Jeon
Jessica Oreskovic
Anirudh Thommandram
Yan Fossat
author_sort Jaycee Kaufman
collection DOAJ
description Abstract BackgroundIdentifying subtle changes in the menstrual cycle is crucial for effective fertility tracking and understanding reproductive health. ObjectiveThe aim of the study is to explore how fundamental frequency features vary between menstrual phases using daily voice recordings. MethodsThis study analyzed smartphone-collected voice recordings from 16 naturally cycling female participants, collected every day for 1 full menstrual cycle. Fundamental frequency features (mean, SD, 5th percentile, and 95th percentile) were extracted from each voice recording. Ovulation was estimated using luteinizing hormone urine tests taken every morning. The analysis included comparisons of these features between the follicular and luteal phases and the application of changepoint detection algorithms to assess changes and pinpoint the day in which the shifts in vocal pitch occur. ResultsThe fundamental frequency SD was 9.0% (SD 2.9%) lower in the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase (95% CI 3.4%‐14.7%; PPPPPPP ConclusionsThese findings indicate that subtle variations in vocal pitch may reflect changes associated with the menstrual cycle, suggesting the potential for developing a noninvasive and convenient method for monitoring reproductive health. Changepoint detection may provide a promising avenue for future work in longitudinal fertility analysis.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2561-326X
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spelling doaj-art-635d7658382a46be8592d7ddd41c2e732025-01-16T21:15:48ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Formative Research2561-326X2025-01-019e65448e6544810.2196/65448Longitudinal Changes in Pitch-Related Acoustic Characteristics of the Voice Throughout the Menstrual Cycle: Observational StudyJaycee Kaufmanhttp://orcid.org/0000-0001-8183-0206Jouhyun Jeonhttp://orcid.org/0000-0003-2236-2849Jessica Oreskovichttp://orcid.org/0009-0007-9778-8728Anirudh Thommandramhttp://orcid.org/0000-0002-2546-4587Yan Fossathttp://orcid.org/0000-0002-1271-2633 Abstract BackgroundIdentifying subtle changes in the menstrual cycle is crucial for effective fertility tracking and understanding reproductive health. ObjectiveThe aim of the study is to explore how fundamental frequency features vary between menstrual phases using daily voice recordings. MethodsThis study analyzed smartphone-collected voice recordings from 16 naturally cycling female participants, collected every day for 1 full menstrual cycle. Fundamental frequency features (mean, SD, 5th percentile, and 95th percentile) were extracted from each voice recording. Ovulation was estimated using luteinizing hormone urine tests taken every morning. The analysis included comparisons of these features between the follicular and luteal phases and the application of changepoint detection algorithms to assess changes and pinpoint the day in which the shifts in vocal pitch occur. ResultsThe fundamental frequency SD was 9.0% (SD 2.9%) lower in the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase (95% CI 3.4%‐14.7%; PPPPPPP ConclusionsThese findings indicate that subtle variations in vocal pitch may reflect changes associated with the menstrual cycle, suggesting the potential for developing a noninvasive and convenient method for monitoring reproductive health. Changepoint detection may provide a promising avenue for future work in longitudinal fertility analysis.https://formative.jmir.org/2025/1/e65448
spellingShingle Jaycee Kaufman
Jouhyun Jeon
Jessica Oreskovic
Anirudh Thommandram
Yan Fossat
Longitudinal Changes in Pitch-Related Acoustic Characteristics of the Voice Throughout the Menstrual Cycle: Observational Study
JMIR Formative Research
title Longitudinal Changes in Pitch-Related Acoustic Characteristics of the Voice Throughout the Menstrual Cycle: Observational Study
title_full Longitudinal Changes in Pitch-Related Acoustic Characteristics of the Voice Throughout the Menstrual Cycle: Observational Study
title_fullStr Longitudinal Changes in Pitch-Related Acoustic Characteristics of the Voice Throughout the Menstrual Cycle: Observational Study
title_full_unstemmed Longitudinal Changes in Pitch-Related Acoustic Characteristics of the Voice Throughout the Menstrual Cycle: Observational Study
title_short Longitudinal Changes in Pitch-Related Acoustic Characteristics of the Voice Throughout the Menstrual Cycle: Observational Study
title_sort longitudinal changes in pitch related acoustic characteristics of the voice throughout the menstrual cycle observational study
url https://formative.jmir.org/2025/1/e65448
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AT jessicaoreskovic longitudinalchangesinpitchrelatedacousticcharacteristicsofthevoicethroughoutthemenstrualcycleobservationalstudy
AT anirudhthommandram longitudinalchangesinpitchrelatedacousticcharacteristicsofthevoicethroughoutthemenstrualcycleobservationalstudy
AT yanfossat longitudinalchangesinpitchrelatedacousticcharacteristicsofthevoicethroughoutthemenstrualcycleobservationalstudy