What is the reason why women have big Adam's apples?

The Adam's apple is actually an organ in our human body. Generally speaking, men's Adam's apple is more obvious, while women's Adam's apple is almost invisible. Of course, there are exceptions, and some women have larger Adam's apples. This raises a question. Some people think that only men have Adam's apples. So is it normal for women to have Adam's apples? What causes women to have large Adam's apples?

Is it normal for a woman to have an Adam's apple?

It is normal for women to have Adam's apple. For some girls, excessive secretion of male hormones may also cause a prominent Adam's apple. Actually, both men and women have Adam's apples, it's just a matter of size, so don't be too nervous about it. The human throat is made up of 11 pieces of cartilage as a support, and the most important and largest piece is called thyroid cartilage. The laryngeal cartilage begins to develop when the fetus is two months old, and it continues to grow every year until 5-6 years after birth, but the growth of laryngeal cartilage basically stops from the age of five or six to puberty. Regardless of gender, the thyroid cartilage is the same size in childhood. After entering puberty, the secretion of male androgen increases, and the upper end of the front angle of the thyroid cartilage plate on both sides rapidly increases and protrudes forward to form Adam's apple. At the same time, the laryngeal cavity also increases significantly, almost 6 times that of a newborn. This makes the boy's original crisp child's voice become a deep and thick adult voice. This male sexual characteristic is caused by the androgen testosterone secreted by the testicles. Although the ovaries of normal women also produce a small amount of testosterone, it is only 5% of that of men, so generally women will not have Adam's apples, that is, the Adam's apple will not be obviously prominent.

What does it mean when a woman has an Adam's apple?

The Adam's apple is considered a symbol of masculinity, but in real life, some women also have it. Is it normal for women to have Adam's apples?

Experts say that both men and women actually have Adam's apples. In human anatomy, the human Adam's apple is composed of 11 pieces of cartilage as a support, the most important and largest of which is called the thyroid cartilage. The throat bones begin to develop when the fetus is 2 months old and continue to grow for 5 to 6 years after birth. After that, until the onset of puberty, the growth of laryngeal cartilage basically stops. So the thyroid cartilage of prepubertal boys and girls is the same size.

The reason why the Adam's apple of men and women is different in the later stages of development is due to androgens and estrogen. Androgens stimulate the growth of the thyroid cartilage, while estrogens cause it to grow more slowly. After men enter puberty, the secretion of male hormones gradually increases, which accelerates the growth of the thyroid cartilage and gradually protrudes forward. In women, because the level of estrogen secreted by the ovaries increases, the growth rate of the thyroid cartilage is slower, so women's Adam's apple generally does not protrude.

Experts say that if a woman appears to have an Adam's apple, it may be due to an endocrine imbalance, with excessive secretion of male hormones and insufficient estrogen, which can lead to masculine characteristics such as a prominent Adam's apple and a hoarse voice. Tumors in other parts of the body, such as the ovaries, may lead to insufficient secretion of estrogen.