Susan's Place Transgender Resources

So, I have a cold which sucks big time!!!!
I can't for the life of me stop coughing.
Besides the obvious, it sucks because I can't cough like a woman.
When speaking, I sound all woman. I have no problem with that.
But when I cough, I sound like butch joe, lol.
All my female co-workers around me are probably like wtf, ha.
Oh well  ;D

Hehe. I wouldn't worry about it much. People tend to sound horrible when they have a cold. They'll likely just assume that your cold is really terrible and not question the cough.

<< learned to cough like a woman, although its a strain you can do it.

Cue song: She coughs... just la'hk a woman...

Don't worry, they probably just think you're a heavy smoker :).

I've heard numerous girls complain about the fact that they are coughing like a man when they're ill. I really doubt anyone's noticed.

Quote from: Helena on March 10, 2011, 12:58:36 PM
I've heard numerous girls complain about the fact that they are coughing like a man when they're ill. I really doubt anyone's noticed.

This

I figured out on my own if I "ee-ify" my cough, it sounds more feminine. It means trying to kind of smile as you cough to make the sound come out more like an EE sound than an OH sound.

Don't worry too much about it. I know lots of cis-women who cough like a guy when they're sick. People probably don't notice all that much.

If your voice is good otherwise I wouldn't worry much. Coughing femme is a pita, and a productive clearing of the throat.... forget it! (in my case)

~Sara

Quote from: Miss_Anthropic on March 10, 2011, 03:53:21 PM
If your voice is good otherwise I wouldn't worry much. Coughing femme is a pita, and a productive clearing of the throat.... forget it! (in my case)

~Sara

Ugh throat clearing SUCKS!

An XX person once told me that when she coughs she sounds masculine. For us it's possible to learn to cough or clear throat in a higher register same as with speaking. In fact my coughs are often mistaken for sneezes!

I have had coughing anxiety as well.  And I still do, but it's not as bad.  After a while you get used to it and find a way to cope, like a lot of trans-related anxieties.  It's a legitimate concern because we have different resonators than women who didn't get a huge dose of testosterone around puberty.

If I am having a coughing jag, I will try to excuse myself and find someplace private to barf up a lung. 

It's not the coughin' that carries you off, its a coffin they carries you off in!!

My problem with a cough these days is that it makes my breasts and nipples hurt If I try to hold it back.!!!

Oh thank gods I'm not the only person worried about this. I asked my GF a couple of days ago and she said " I didn't know guys coughed differently."

Quote from: Jerica on March 10, 2011, 01:59:26 PM
I figured out on my own if I "ee-ify" my cough, it sounds more feminine. It means trying to kind of smile as you cough to make the sound come out more like an EE sound than an OH sound.

Holy crap that works great!  Thanks!

Quote from: Serra on March 11, 2011, 06:00:13 AM
"Holy crap that works great!  Thanks!

Np =) I say I figured it out on my own but it also comes from my voice therapist in general. She's the one who taught me about "eeifying" my voice.

I ve been trying to swallow to clear my throat rather than hack , sort of delays the coughing , i sound like crap when im sick ,pressing my toungue against my lower front teeth seems to raise the pitch some to a cute cough from a disgusting hacking . Drink lots of water so you don t dry out and maybe youll cough less

Did you know you could get a hernia by trying to supress a cough?  Been there!

Transsexual problems never seem to end.  Everyone seems to be chasing the dream of complete perfection.   When one problem gets solved or downplayed, six other problems spring up Hydra like.    I hope that I am not being rude but it seems to me that American transsexuals may be behind this.   Americans as every non American knows appear to believe with a near religious devotion that physical, psychological and moral perfection is not only possible but desirable.   All you need is $$$ £££ and if you don't have the money for such things it is because you are stupid and lazy.   It is the old "Log cabin to White House" way of thinking which appears to be entirely American.    It is most definitely NOT my intention to be offensive.  I am just suggesting that maybe we try to be more accepting of our limitations and not seek unrealistic perfection at the price of our peace of mind
What sparked this mini-rant off was 'coughing like a man' written by the OP.   I think that it is more likely to be a class difference in coughing rather than a gender one per se.  I was in a middle-class supermarket when I was startled by the depth,loudness and coarseness of someone clearing their throat.   I quickly looked around and what did I see?    Who made that basso profondo, chain-smoking grizzly bear, throat clearing?   It was a girl aged 17-18.  She was as wide as she was tall and although it is very snobbish to say so she was obviously from a poor background judging from her clothes and body language.   
I do appreciate that this is a one-off anecdotal example but don't think that all women are delicate, shy, unobtrusive creatures who would rather die than commits even the least noticeable vulgar act.


P.S. I have edited this post to make my meaning clearer and to add qualifiers to downplay potentially offensive statements.

When your physical gender accords with your psychological gender you can afford to behave in opposite gender ways without fear.   A woman can occasionally cough or clear her throat like a 100 a-day man first thing in the morning.   Likewise a man can afford to cough etc on occasion like the most delicate and girlish schoolgirl. 
My advice is just to be yourself, accept yourself and stop trying to please others.


P.S.  I have seen women spitting in the street.  How does that fit in with your all women are wonderful, loving, selfless-angels and hyper-feminine Goddesses who cry for hours when they see a dead insect schema?

Quote from: Stephanie on March 12, 2011, 05:15:35 PM
Transsexual problems never seem to end.  Everyone seems to be chasing the dream of complete perfection.   When one problem gets solved or downplayed, six other problems spring up Hydra like.    I hope that I am not being rude but it seems to me that American transsexuals may be behind this.   Americans as every non American knows believe with a near religious devotion that physical, psychological and moral perfection is not only possible but desirable.   All you need is $$$ £££ and if you don't have the money for such things it is because you are stupid and lazy.   
What sparked this mini-rant off was 'coughing like a man' written by the OP.   I think that it is more likely to be a class difference in coughing rather than a gender one per se.  I was in a middle-class supermarket when I was startled by the depth,loudness and coarseness of someone clearing their throat.   I quickly looked around and what did I see?    Who made that basso profondo, chain-smoking grizzly bear, throat clearing?   It was a girl aged 17-18.  She was as wide as she was tall and although it is very snobbish to say so she was obviously from a poor background judging from her clothes and body language.   
I do appreciate that this is a one-off anecdotal example but don't think that all women are delicate, shy, unobtrusive creatures who would rather die than commits even the least noticeable vulgar act.

oh jeez

Stephanie- respectfully I disagree and I think the OP was referring to how deep her cough sounded not that it made her seem "slob-like" or however you want to put it.

To the OP- If I am correct and you're worried about sounding like you have a deep masculine cough try not to worry about it. So did I before transition, so does my mom, so did my grandma (not blood related). So rest assured that there are many women with a deeper cough. Today I coughed and was afraid it wasn't deep enough then on my way home this guy coughed mid sentence and his deep burly talking voice let out this little cough that sounded like a 6 year old girl had coughed. I had to roll my eyes at myself for stressing at that point  :laugh: