Audiometric and vestibular evaluation in women using the hormonal contraceptive method

AIM: To co-relate the use of hormonal contraceptives with positive Auditory and Vestibular alterations. METHODS: medical history taking, audiometric test and vestibular test was applied to 60 women between the ages of 14 and 35 years old, and 30 of these women are on oral hormonal contraceptive consisting of Estrogen and Progesterone (risk group), for 6 months or more, that had no Auditory or Vestibular complaints prior to the usage of hormones; and 30 women that had never used these hormones (control group), with no Auditory or Vestibular complaints. Medical history was used to select the sample. RESULTS: Based on otoneurological findings, through quantitative research, we could see the prevailing Irritatative Peripheral Vestibular Syndrome and tinnitus in the risk group, without audiometric alterations. CONCLUSION: The use of oral contraceptives can provoke functional alterations in the inner ear, specially tinnitus and Irritative Peripheral Vestibular Syndrome in the risk group; but auditory threshold alterations were not evident.