Tinnitus and Hormone Problems/Connection?

[Imshael]

Hello again!

Just saw a thread in a Swedish tinnitus group, where a woman talked about her tinnitus and how it was possibly related to her hormone treatment.

As someone who has PCOS I found this quite interesting (and also a bit disheartening to be honest, since I'm working up the courage to get treatment myself, but that's beside the point).

Could it be that there is a correlation between PCOS and tinnitus?

Has anyone else here any experience with this, or some knowledge on the matter?

 

[Autumnly]

The following is not exactly about PCOS but female hormones can have an impact on tinnitus.

Hormonal Changes in Women & Tinnitus

• There is a growing body of evidence that there exists a link between the female hormone cycles (or the cessation thereof) and the fluctuations in the perception of tinnitus loudness. While the majority of this evidence consists of anecdotal comments by researchers, clinicians and doctors from around the globe, their conclusions support the connection and demands further investigation.
• According to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), United Kingdom, "a number of women reported that their tinnitus either started, or became more noticeable, during pregnancy, menopause, or following Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)." HRT is the taking of supplements of female sex hormones by women to alleviate menopausal symptoms and to reduce the future risk of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.
• (The homepage seems to sell the usual highly overpriced, scam-like supplements against tinnitus but their article was interesting)

Hormone replacement therapy decreases the risk of tinnitus in menopausal women: a nationwide study

• The incidence and risk of tinnitus associated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in menopausal women have not yet been fully examined.
  
• Based on our observation of the lower incidence of tinnitus among HRT users in this cohort, we speculate that HRT may have provided potential benefits on the management and prevention of tinnitus among menopausal women.

Association of perceived tinnitus with duration of hormone replacement therapy in Korean postmenopausal women: a cross-sectional study

• The overall prevalence of tinnitus was 22.2% among postmenopausal women. (1) Tinnitus severity was significantly higher in women using HRT (p=0.0024) and (2) significantly lower in women who breast fed their children (p=0.0386). (3) According to logistic regression models, the longer duration of HRT was significantly associated with increasing tinnitus (OR=1.323, 95% CI 1.007 to 1.737, p=0.0441).

Inner ear–related symptoms
https://vestibular.org/sites/default/files/page_files/Hormones and Vestibular Disorders_0.pdf

• A number of inner ear symptoms have been attributed to the female hormones. Women with vestibular disorders have reported discrete episodes of vertigo, general imbalance and/or disequilibrium, increases in tinnitus, hearing loss or change of some type, aural fullness, and ear pressure in apparent response to hormonal changes.
• Andrews et al. described women experiencing dizziness, aural pressure, and low-frequency hearing loss during the premenstrual time.

 

[Imshael]

Oh, thank you @Autumnly , that's quite a lot of info you had on on the subject.

Very interesting indeed and even though, as you said, it doesn't mention PCOS directly, it is still very much related.

Oh my oh my, the human body sure is complicated.