Effects of ovarian reserve and hormone therapy on hearing in premenopausal and postmenopausal women: A cross-sectional study.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional observational study
PubMed 29673835 · doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2018.01.019
What was done
A cross-sectional study evaluated 109 women around menopause aged 45-55 years, divided into three groups: ovarian failure (40 women), ovarian non-failure (48 women), and hormone therapy recipients (21 women). All participants underwent audiologic testing for auditory thresholds and blood testing for hormones, including anti-Mullerian hormone. General condition, reproductive and medical history, lifestyle factors, and menopausal symptoms were collected by questionnaire.
What was found
Women with ovarian failure showed higher auditory thresholds across all frequency bands compared with the non-failure group, with significant differences in right-ear air conduction at 8000 Hz, 10000 Hz, 12500 Hz, and 16000 Hz. Auditory thresholds were lower in the hormone therapy group than in the ovarian failure group, but this difference was statistically significant only for right-ear air conduction at 10000 Hz. Significant risk factors for hearing loss were an anti-Mullerian hormone level <0.01 ng/mL (odds ratio = 2.624) and frequent earphone use (odds ratio = 3.846).
Why it matters
Declining ovarian reserve and very low anti-Mullerian hormone levels are linked to high-frequency hearing loss in women during the menopausal transition.
Limits
The cross-sectional design prevents causal conclusions. The total sample size is small, particularly the hormone therapy subgroup (n = 21). Findings were primarily significant only in the right ear at high frequencies, and confidence intervals or exact p-values were not provided in the abstract.