Menopause and hearing

Menopause and hearing loss

At The Hearing Clinic we’ve been heartened by how much discussion there’s been in the media in recent times around the menopause and perimenopause. After all, the more discussion there can be about this – as with any health topic – the better the outcomes are for those involved.

However, there’s been little discussion about how the perimenopause and menopause affect hearing. Some women experience hearing loss or tinnitus when they enter the perimenopause while others considering hormone replacement therapy (HRT) want to know what impact it might have on their hearing.

The perimenopause is the time, typically when a woman is in her late forties, when her hormone levels start to fall. This leads to hot flushes, irregular periods, sleepnessness, brain fog, low mood and mood swings. While every woman’s experience is different, the symptoms typically continue for some years until a woman’s periods finally stop. A woman has reached menopause when she hasn’t had a period for 12 months.

A review in 2023 that examined gender differences in hearing found that while women in general have better hearing sensitivity than men, that sensitivity drops rapidly with the onset of menopause. Research from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadephia found that lowered oestrogen alters the auditory brainstem’s response values, and the drop in oestrogen during menopause may negatively affect the auditory system.