Frequently Asked Questions About Transgender Voice Therapy For Trans Women

Our voices play an important role in the making of who we are.

It is through our voices that we communicate, share our thoughts, and that others can recognize us when we speak.

If you identify as transgender, you may be struggling with feeling like your voice doesn’t reflect your gender.

Fortunately, transgender voice therapy near me can help.

Transgender voice therapy can help someone masculinize, feminize, or even androgynize their voice in order to better match their gender identity.

Let’s look at some of the most frequently asked questions about transgender voice therapy for trans women.

Can I Begin Voice Training If I Haven’t Begun Transitioning Yet?

Yes.

Transitioning is not a requirement for transgender voice therapy.

However, it can sometimes be difficult to stay motivated to practice voice feminization exercises when you haven’t yet transitioned.

As well, a big part of transgender voice training is practicing the new voice you’ve found for yourself.

Your transgender voice coach can help you with techniques to feminize your voice, but essentially you’re learning to use your muscles in different ways.

As a result, practicing your new techniques is the most effective way to properly feminize your voice – and that becomes much easier when you’re actually using it.

Everyone has different motivations for seeking out transgender voice therapy.

Some begin transgender voice therapy before coming out to their friends and family, in order to develop a female voice for when they do.

Others are already well into their gender social transition and seek out transgender voice therapy after transitioning.

Your speech therapist will assess your unique circumstances and needs in order to develop a therapy plan that is right for you.

Will Estrogen Hormone Therapy Affect My Voice?

Unfortunately, estrogen hormone therapy has no significant impact on voices.

When you go through testosterone driven puberty, it causes your larynx to lower, and your vocal folds to thicken and lengthen.

As nice as it would be, estrogen does not reverse this process.

Interestingly, though, testosterone has this effect whether it’s your first or second puberty.

As a result, trans men end up with deeper voices naturally.

Speech therapy for trans men and trans masculine folks, as a result, has a different approach than for trans women and trans femmes.

How Long Will It Take To Feminize My Voice?

Everyone’s progress will look different.

Your progress in transgender voice therapy will depend on a variety of factors, such as your ability to commit to therapy, motivation to improve, and your personal circumstances and skills.

Your progress can also depend on the skill and experience of your language therapist.

The general guide suggests that it takes approximately 12 sessions to feminize a voice.

Like all therapy, this process will be broken down into steps with stages of development.

Will I Need Voice Feminization Surgery?

Not necessarily.

The majority of individuals who seek out transgender voice therapy are able to achieve a feminized voice without the need for surgery.

When voice feminization surgery is performed, it is done so to elevate pitch.

While pitch is an important factor in the distinction of male versus female voices, it is only one factor.

Many other factors, such as resonance, speech patterns, weight, and more, are equally important in feminizing your voice.

All these factors must be learnt and practiced in order to achieve an authentic sounding voice.

Is It Possible To Find A Fully Passable Feminine Voice?

Absolutely.

The key elements for success in transgender voice therapy are motivation, an ability to commit to the therapy, practice time, and development of social confidence.

The skill and experience of your language therapist can also play an important role in which treatment model is used.

Can’t I Just Alter My Voice By Watching YouTube Videos?

Yes you can.

However, there are a few potential issues you may run into.

First of all, YouTube is a mixed bag.

There are some great and effective resources on there, but there are also some misleading and confusing resources that can end up leaving you frustrated at best.

As well, if you’re not used to working with your voice, you may end up injuring yourself as you explore the possibilities.

But it can also be difficult to train your voice in a vacuum.

To better understand this, consider the field of personal training.

However you want to develop your body – lose weight, flatten your tummy, improve upper body strength, run faster, etc – there are a million YouTube videos that can help.

And yet, personal training is still a lucrative industry.

Why?

First of all, it’s hard to know whether you’re doing it right without feedback from a professional.

And it’s hard to stay motivated to work on your voice without that feedback.

If you want to try it yourself, by all means, that’s okay.

And if you can make it work without a professional, that’s great too.

But if you find you need help, you’re not alone.

Do I Need Transgender Voice Feminization Training?

The answer to that question is entirely up to you.

Like many parts of a gender transition, you only need to do it if you feel like you need to do it.

If you’re happy with your voice, there’s no need to seek out trans voice feminization.

And it’s not our job to convince you that you do need it.

However, if your voice causes you dysphoria, we can help.

Book Your Appointment With District Speech Today

At District Speech, we want to help you through your gender transition.

Our licensed speech pathologists are trans informed, including hiring a trans woman to both write the content you just read, and to provide transgender voice coaching services.

If you’re not happy with your voice, we can help.

Contact us to book an appointment.