Unlike members of other animal species, women do not show obvious physical signs that they are ovulating . For years researchers have tried to identify subtle changes in the way we dress, behave, or smell that allow us to recognize the moments of maximum fertility.
Now, a study published in PLoS One points out that there are changes in the female voice during the menstrual cycle that could inform the opposite sex about when is the best time for conception. Julia Fischer, from the German Primate Center, conducted a series of experiments with 23 women, taking a urine sample each day to measure their hormonal changes while recording their voices and analyzing them for changes in pitch, timbre , the harmonics, the degree of hoarseness, etc. The results showed that women have a higher voice three days before and three days after ovulating . And that its tone is lower just at the time of ovulation.
Interestingly, during menstruation the female voice also changes: it tends to be coarser and hoarse . Researchers attribute it to increased fluid retention and its effects on the vocal cords.
"Although the changes we have identified in the voice during ovulation are subtle and difficult to detect, they may be enough to provoke a different reaction in men, even if they do not know why," conclude Fischer and his colleagues.
