A Cross-Sectional Study of Acoustic and Perceptual Changes in Voice During Pregnancy

Background: Voice is one of the many systems which may show deviancies during pregnancy. The present study aimed to profile the acoustic and perceptual characteristics of voice during pregnancy. Methods: Pregnant women in the age range of 18-30 years were divided into seven groups starting from the third month of pregnancy to the ninth month of pregnancy, with 30 participants in each group. Praat software was used to collect the phonation and narration samples from each participant at their most comfortable pitch and loudness. The acoustic and perceptual analyses were performed on recorded voice samples. Results: Results revealed that fundamental frequency (F0) is affected by 6th month until 9th month of pregnancy. However, jitter and shimmer abnormalities are evident from the 3rd month of pregnancy. The results of the perceptual analysis indicated the presence of roughness and breathiness from the third month of pregnancy until the 9th month of pregnancy. Discussion: The results indicated that fundamental frequency (F0) was affected by the 6th month of pregnancy and continued until the 9th month of pregnancy. The jitter and shimmer abnormalities were evident from the 3rd month of pregnancy. These findings were further supported by perceptual deviations on the Grade Roughness Breathiness Asthenia Strain (GRBAS) scale. Conclusion: These findings are of value for a pregnant woman who is sensitive to the vocal deviations and also for a professional voice user as they are more prone to voice changes or disorders due to their extensive voice usage.