For anyone who is finding it more difficult to hear female voices or children’s voices than to hear male voices, it could be an indication that you’ve experienced some degree of high-frequency hearing loss. Women’s and children’s voices have a higher frequency than men’s voices – 165 to 255 Hz, in contrast to 85 to 180 Hertz for men. On top of that, the volume of women’s and children’s voices are often less audible because they speak more quietly than men. By making an appointment with one of our hearing specialists you can find out for sure what the nature of the problem is, and how to best treat it.
High-frequency hearing loss is the most common among all forms of hearing loss.
High-frequency hearing loss can have many causes: genetics, aging, noise-induced hearing loss (exposure to loud sounds), certain diseases, and certain drugs. But whatever the cause, the important thing is that as a result of technological advances, hearing loss can be treated.
One effective option involves the fitting of digital hearing aids, whose sophisticated electronics can be programmed to respond differently to sounds at different frequencies. For people with high-frequency hearing loss, the digital hearing aid raises the volume of high-frequency (high-pitched) sounds more than it raises the volume of the lower-frequency (low-pitched) sounds. Open-fit hearing aids provide another treatment option, because their design leaves the ear canal open so that low- and mid-frequency sounds enter the ear normally, and only the high-frequency sounds are amplified by the aid. A third possibility for severe cases of high-frequency hearing loss is the placement of a cochlear implant. An implant is a much more expensive and invasive option requiring minor surgery, but it may be the best option in cases of nerve deafness or extreme industrial deafness.
But the first step to finding a solution to your hearing problem is to have an examination, and allow our specialists to determine what the nature of it actually is. Your hearing exam could reveal that your high-frequency hearing loss is caused by a treatable blockage such as a build up of ear wax and can be easily corrected. So rather than worry about why you are having trouble hearing women’s and children’s voices, do something about it by scheduling an appointment with a trained hearing specialist.