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IN FOCUS: ARTICLE |
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What's Up With My Voice?
by Wayne Grinwis, 03.26.03
You've been watching this cutie from across the room for a long time now. You finally get up the nerve to ask her out. But as you start to talk, it just happens: "Hey Tanya. So, are you doing anything this screech eek ahhhh?!?" Your voice freaks out! One second you sound like Vin Diesel, the next, like Harry Potter.
Yup, sounds like puberty!
The Culprit
You've probably heard of the hormone called testosterone, which is produced in the testes (and, in smaller amounts, in a woman's ovaries). Testosterone triggers puberty in guys, causing a number of changes in the body:
- The penis and testicles grow larger.
- Hair growth increases around the penis, scrotum, chest, face, and armpits.
- Skin and hair become oilier.
- Muscles increase in size.
- The body starts producing sperm and semen, which sometimes cause wet dreams.
Testosterone also causes a guy's larynx, or voice box, to increase in size. The larynx often grows bigger so rapidly that it causes a guy's voice to "break," crack, and squeak. As the vocal cords in the larynx get thicker and longer, the tone of the voice deepens. When the larynx finishes growing, a guy will end up with a voice that's consistently lower than it used to be. The same thing happens as girls mature into women, but it usually doesn't happen as rapidly for them — or as much.
What Can I Do?
What can you do when your voice breaks? Try not to worry about it! After all, it is beyond your control. It's totally normal, and it happens to almost every guy (usually at the worst possible time!).
Jeff went through it and found a great way to handle it. "It was not fun! It seemed to happen whenever I was nervous or excited! I'd get called on in class, and in the middle of my answer my voice would crack. People would laugh, but I would handle it with a joke like, 'Oops! Puberty.' That would usually make it alright."
Try not to waste too much energy worrying about it. If you're able to accept that it's totally normal for your voice to change, then there really isn't much reason to be embarrassed.
When Will It End?
Some guys' voices change relatively quickly, and it might be obvious that it's happening. For other guys, the process is so gradual that many people don't even notice, except maybe for the people you don't talk to for months. Ty said, "Actually, I didn't really notice my voice change all that much. I did notice, however, that people stopped thinking that I was my mom when I answered the phone!"
As for the cracks and squeaks, those do sometimes happen to grown men, and even girls and women. But again, it's no big deal. Steve, who is in his early 20s, just says, "Wow, puberty again?" whenever it happens to him. That makes Steve, and whomever he's talking with, feel more comfortable.
Rafael, who is 15, has a great outlook on his voice change. "Yeah, it was embarrassing at times. But I guess it happens to all of us. And, you know what? It was over in a couple of months, and now I sound like a man!"
That about sums it up, thanks Rafael! |
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