voice change and low testosterone following castration or testicular trauma
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2026 5:19 am
Hi everyone,
A few weeks before my seventeenth birthday, I sustained a significant blunt-force injury to both testicles in a bicycle accident. At the time, I didn't inform my parents and managed it on my own with ice packs. I didn't think much of it until I began noticing changes, as both testicles had visibly atrophied, I started gaining weight toward the end of high school, and a classmate eventually pointed out that my voice seemed higher-pitched than before. Honestly, I hadn't noticed the vocal change myself until it was brought to my attention. In my first year of college, I finally got my testosterone levels tested (was ~3.2 nmol/L as I remember). The value was below the lower limit of the normal male reference range, and testicular volume was approximately 4 mL and 6 mL, respectively.
I'd like to hear if anyone has had a similar experience. Based on something I read, testosterone initially causes edema and vascular congestion in the vocal cords, followed by permanent thickening due to the accumulation of collagen and elastic fibers, changes that collectively drive deepening of the voice. My working theory is that by the time of my injury, my voice had only partially broken, and the process was still underway. When my testosterone dropped sharply afterward, the unfinished edema and vascular congestion, which had not yet matured into permanent structural changes, likely resolved, leaving my voice higher than it would have been had puberty run its full course. That said, my voice still sounds predominantly masculine overall; I’m not sure if it retains the characteristics of a male adolescent. Maybe later I will post an audio recording of my voice.
A few weeks before my seventeenth birthday, I sustained a significant blunt-force injury to both testicles in a bicycle accident. At the time, I didn't inform my parents and managed it on my own with ice packs. I didn't think much of it until I began noticing changes, as both testicles had visibly atrophied, I started gaining weight toward the end of high school, and a classmate eventually pointed out that my voice seemed higher-pitched than before. Honestly, I hadn't noticed the vocal change myself until it was brought to my attention. In my first year of college, I finally got my testosterone levels tested (was ~3.2 nmol/L as I remember). The value was below the lower limit of the normal male reference range, and testicular volume was approximately 4 mL and 6 mL, respectively.
I'd like to hear if anyone has had a similar experience. Based on something I read, testosterone initially causes edema and vascular congestion in the vocal cords, followed by permanent thickening due to the accumulation of collagen and elastic fibers, changes that collectively drive deepening of the voice. My working theory is that by the time of my injury, my voice had only partially broken, and the process was still underway. When my testosterone dropped sharply afterward, the unfinished edema and vascular congestion, which had not yet matured into permanent structural changes, likely resolved, leaving my voice higher than it would have been had puberty run its full course. That said, my voice still sounds predominantly masculine overall; I’m not sure if it retains the characteristics of a male adolescent. Maybe later I will post an audio recording of my voice.