Voice Feminization: Speech Therapy vs Voice Surgery — What Changes and What Does Not.

People go for Voice Feminization to change how their voices sound so that they can match their gender. Mostly transgender women are the ones who use these surgeries so that they won't feel out of place when they are associating with others. The purpose of undergoing this surgery and therapy is to maintain how their voices sound, and it can be achieved in 2 ways.

When they are in voice training, they will be taught how to control their deep voices and the way they speak, and surgery controls how the voice sounds when they talk, and there are some natural habits that will not change. It is important to know these phrases: voice feminization therapy vs. surgery, so that patients will make decisions knowing the pros and cons.

In this blog, we will explain voice feminization therapy vs. surgery, and you will understand what changes when transgender women undergo these voice change options. 

This blog is going to give insight on voice feminization therapy vs surgery differences so that when you are going for these therapies and surgery, you are prepared for everything. They are done so that their voices will suit their gender, which makes them feel like a complete person. Imagine you have a deep voice, but you have a woman's body, which makes you feel segregated by society.

Speech Therapy

The changes

• Pitch-this trains transgender women to make their voices sound higher and lighter, or softer instead of deep, targeting a higher musical note when you speak.

• It teaches them how to shift their voices so that when they talk, it sounds feminine, and it should bounce in your nose and mouth to create a soft voice.

Facts that do not change 

The sounds that come all of a sudden and you have no control of them.

These habits occur without any warning or a sign; sometimes you feel them after they happened. They can happen when they are affected by the weather or when you are sick.

• You can not control sneezing because it happens when you have the flu, and the way you do it does change after therapy.

• Generally, everyone coughs when something gets stuck in your throat, or you didn't gulp liquid well.

• When something excites you, obviously you have to laugh, or you get shocked by something that makes you happy. Therapy doesn't change the way you laugh and smile.

• Whenever you get frightened, you gasp because, in fear, the way sounds doesn't change.

• If you are tired, or you are feeling sleepy, the way you do it doesn't change because they are natural voice formations; feminization cannot change them.

Reversing puberty effects 

• It refers to the use of hormonal therapy, like taking oestrogen, to try to undo or reverse the physical changes that testosterone already caused in your body.

• Estrogen cannot change or raise your voice if your voice has already gotten deeper during puberty.

Your vocal cords develop permanently. 

• When you get into puberty, there are hormones that are responsible for changing how your voice sounds. It makes it sound harsh so that you are man enough, which makes you have a deeper voice.

Estrogen can not fix them. 

• Taking or using some estrogen while you are an adult person cannot change or soften the voice.

Voice lifting surgery

• A medical operation that individuals undergo because they want to permanently change or raise the pitch of their voices.

It changes your voice box. 

• To have a great outcome, the surgeons open a small cut around your neck so that they pull up the lower cartilage towards the upper one so that the vocals will come out sounding feminine.

It makes pitch automatic. 

• After all the surgery, your voice will sound the same in the future, which allows you to feel like a whole, complete person. It happens naturally without effort, which allows you to have peace of mind and conquer gender dysphoria.

You have to know that surgery's main purpose is to change how your voice sounds, and it can not change the way you say words, the way you cough or sneeze. Also, voice lifting is important because it enhances the sound to be more natural.

Here is what does not change after surgery

• After the surgery, the way you use words in sentences and pronounce them cannot change, and how you laugh what changes is only the sound effects.

• Your muscle memory continues to perform tasks that happen automatically, such as coughing and laughing; what changes is how you sound.

Before you even start to look for the option, you have to know the voice feminization therapy vs. surgery comparison, so that you know the effects of each session. It also gives your friends and family the knowledge to know how to take care of you before and after the sessions.

Comparing voice feminization therapy and voice surgery helps patients and others with:

• Preparing loved ones for strict post-op silent recovery

• It helps them choose the right path 

• Managing and reducing gender dysphoria effectively

• Guiding doctors to provide accurate medical referrals

Final thoughts!

The right choice depends on what you want to handle: the daily effort of voice training or the quick change of surgery with its strict quiet period. These two aspects are very important when you want to achieve a feminine voice; they teach you how to change your voice safely without straining muscles or causing permanent damage to your vocal cords.

If you are still confused about voice feminization therapy vs. surgery in Visakhapatnam, VJ’s Transgender Clinics provides transgender surgery in India that can help you understand and choose the ones you want. Every patient who passes through our clinic gets a chance to meet Dr C. Vijay Kumar; thus, you get all the information regarding surgeries that have to do with male-to-female.

FAQ’s

1. What should I do after the surgery so that I won't disturb the healing phase?

You should avoid crying or talking for five days because it disturbs and affects the healing of your vocal cords. You are advised to communicate on the phone, either by typing or writing in a book.

2. How do I eat after the voice surgery?

You have to consume soft, smooth foods that are easy to swallow and easily digested so that they don't affect the vocal cords.

3. Why do people go through these two aspects?

They need both of them because surgery changes the physical parts of your throat, but training changes the way you talk every day.

4. How long does voice feminization last?

After voice surgery, it will not change, and doctors make a small cut, stitches, or tighten your vocal cords. Once the surgery heals, your higher baseline pitch is permanent and cannot be undone.