Voice feminization is a treatment that started to be performed in Spain five years ago and is becoming more and more well known and in demand. The objective is, of course, to modify a patient’s voice so that it is higher pitched and more feminine than her original voice.
What does voice feminization consist of?
In order to feminize the voice, the patient undergoes a minimally invasive surgery called Wendler glottoplasty, performed by the ENT physician, which consists of shortening the vocal cords to achieve a higher-pitched, more feminine voice.
This procedure is performed under general anesthesia endoscopically, that is, through the mouth, with a small incision in the skin. After the operation, the patient must follow speech therapy sessions given by a professional.
Complications of voice feminization
All operations can have complications if the technique is unknown, but, if the specialist doctor has sufficient experience, the main complication can be that the voice does not sharpen and remains the same as before the intervention, which occurs in between 1 and 3% of the interventions.
Patient profile of the voice feminization patient
This treatment is aimed at two types of patients:
- Women with male voice: this condition is called androphonia and usually has a hormonal disorder.
- Transgender women: assigned as male at birth but with a female gender identity.
Voice feminization postoperative period
Wendler glottoplasty requires one day of hospitalization and 15 days of absolute vocal rest. After these two weeks, the patient must follow speech therapy sessions for at least three months to acquire the new voice effectively.