For anyone who is finding it more difficult to hear female voices or kid’s voices than to hear male voices, it could be an indication that you have suffered some amount of high-frequency hearing loss. Women’s and children’s voices have a higher frequency than men’s voices – 165 to 255 Hertz, instead of 85 to 180 Hz for men. On top of that, women’s and children’s voices generally have less amplitude (meaning, they are softer), so you might hear them at a different volume than men’s voices. The way to find out for sure is to make an appointment with one of our specialists and allow them to test your hearing to see what the problem may be.
You are far from alone if your condition is high-frequency hearing loss, because it is the most common type 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.
Digital hearing aids are an effective treatment option because their sophisticated electronics allow the aids to be adjusted or programmed to “favor” one set of frequencies over another. 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.
Whatever your particular hearing problem may be, however, the first step to understanding and treating it is to have an examination by a hearing professional. 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.