A Day in Menopause · A Hormonal Comedy by Nurit Rozenblat
Chapter Fourteen: 19:47 — Who Is Beeping in My Ear?
At 19:47 Dana stood in the kitchen and heard a sound.
They had just finished eating.
The food ordered for seven had arrived twenty-one minutes late, but it had arrived, and it was even tasty.
Eyal cleared the table.
Dana wanted to wash the dishes.
And then it started.
A thin, high, constant beeping.
In her right ear.
She stopped.
"Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"The beeping."
Eyal listened.
"I don't hear anything."
"Then come closer."
He came closer.
Listened again.
"Nothing. Maybe it's the kettle?"
"The kettle is off."
"The fridge?"
"The fridge hums low. This is high. And it's inside my ear."
"Maybe it's the internet?" said Eyal. "The router makes noises sometimes."
"The internet doesn't beep, Eyal. The internet drops quietly."
"Then fix it anyway," she said. "If there's one fault in this house that isn't connected to my body, I want it repaired by tomorrow."
"And if the beeping really is from your ear?" he asked.
"Then at least the internet will work properly when I search for what it is."
Eyal looked at her.
"Inside your ear?"
"Yes. I have a private radio station. It broadcasts one beep, twenty-four hours a day, no commercials."
Tinnitus, the voice remarked.
"Excuse me?"
Ringing in the ears. Tinnitus is a condition in which you hear a sound — a beeping, a buzzing, a whistle — with no external source making it.
"I know there's no external source. I just toured the whole house. I am the source."
During the transition to menopause, some women report new tinnitus or a worsening of existing tinnitus. There is research discussion about a possible link to hormonal changes, but the evidence is not conclusive, and tinnitus can also stem from many other causes.
"Like what?"
Changes in hearing, blood pressure, stress, lack of sleep, and also certain medications. So it's wrong to automatically assume it's the hormones.
"Lack of sleep — check. Stress — check. Hearing — being tested right now. Eyal!"
"What?"
"Can you hear me?"
"Yes."
"Too bad. I was hoping the problem was you."
Eyal laughed.
"I hear excellently. Especially things I didn't want to hear."
"Like what?"
"Like 'I'll write you down to bring drops tomorrow.'"
Dana smiled.
The beeping continued.
She tilted her head to the right.
Tilted to the left.
"What are you doing?" Eyal asked.
"Checking whether it moves from side to side."
"And does it?"
"No. Loyal. It stays on the right."
There are cases where it's important to get checked without waiting, the voice continued. If the ringing appears in only one ear, if it pulses in rhythm with the heartbeat, if there is hearing loss or dizziness — it's worth going for an examination with an ear, nose and throat doctor, or a hearing test.
Dana stopped tilting her head.
"Wait. It's only in one ear."
Right.
"And the hearing?"
I am not a substitute for an examination. Keep track of it, and if it doesn't pass or there is a change in your hearing — a doctor's appointment.
"Another appointment."
Yes.
"Today I already set a reminder for the gynecologist about the dryness, and tomorrow the pharmacy for eye drops. Now ears too. Is there a bulk discount? Three checkups for the price of two?"
I'll check if there's a deal.
"Do check. And ask if there's a membership card. I've earned one."
Dana went into the living room.
The house was quiet.
The beeping sounded louder.
"Have you noticed that the quieter it is, the louder it gets?"
That's typical, the voice remarked. In quiet, especially at night, tinnitus stands out more because there are no background sounds to mask it. Sometimes a gentle background noise, like a fan or quiet music, can ease the feeling.
"A fan. We have one by the bed since the hot flashes."
There you go. It will be useful for this too.
"At least someone in this house works two shifts."
Eyal came into the living room with two cups of tea.
"Still beeping?"
"Yes. My ear is broadcasting. Do you want me to turn it up?"
"I'd rather you didn't. I have enough noise at work."
He sat down beside her.
He was quiet for a moment.
Then he said:
"Maybe it's from the stress. You didn't sleep all night, your eyes are burning, you pulled hair from your chin like a professional, and now—"
"Eyal."
"What?"
"I tweezed. There's a difference."
"Sorry. You removed hair from your chin. With tweezers. Like a professional."
"Better."
He sipped his tea.
"I'm just saying your body went through a lot today. Maybe it's simply tired."
Dana looked at him.
"When did you get so wise?"
"I always was. You just didn't always let me talk."
"That's not true."
"Let's say I had to get a word in between the hot flashes."
She laughed.
The beeping was still there, but somehow, with the tea and with Eyal beside her, it bothered her less.
Or she was simply starting to get used to it.
Dana took her phone and wrote in the notes, under "eye drops":
Ringing in right ear — if it doesn't pass, an ENT appointment and a hearing test.
She looked at the list.
"Look," she said to Eyal. "I have a renovation list. Eyes, ears, and a gynecologist. The house is being renewed."
"The house is you?"
"The house is me. You just live in it and provide ventilation."
Eyal nodded.
"An important role."
It was 20:09.
Dana discovered that her body wasn't content with being heard from within — now it was also making sounds.
Eyal discovered that his wife could conduct a listening tour of the entire house, including the kettle, and in the end find that the noise was her.
And the fan?
It was getting ready for the night shift.
It has two jobs now.
End of Chapter Fourteen.
Continued in Chapter Fifteen: 20:15 — A Wave of Anxiety, Uninvited
© 2026 Nurit Rozenblat. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed without the author's prior written permission.
