The present study examined the effects of exogenous and endogenous ovarian hormones on auditory functioning in young women. Fluctuations in pure tone thresholds and temporary threshold shifts (TTS) at 4 kHz and 6 kHz were assessed across the menstrual cycle. A group of normally cycling, ovulatory women and a group of women using Ortho Novum 7/7/7, a tri-phasic oral contraceptive, were tested during menstruation, at ovulation, and during the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle. A group of men served as controls and were tested at 3 similarly spaced intervals. Only the normally cycling women had significant cyclic fluctuations in auditory sensitivity, displaying poorer thresholds at 4 kHz during the menstrual phase than at the time of ovulation or during the luteal phase. In addition, normally cycling women were found to have significantly less TTS at 6 kHz during the menstrual phase than women using oral contraceptives.