You've probably seen a woman with a slightly prominent bump in her throat and wondered, "Wait, do women have an Adam's apple?" It’s one of those weirdly persistent myths that only men have them. Actually, everyone has one. It’s just a piece of cartilage. It protects your vocal cords. If you didn't have it, you'd have a very hard time speaking or even breathing properly.
The name "Adam's apple" comes from the biblical story of the Garden of Eden, where a piece of forbidden fruit supposedly got stuck in Adam's throat. It’s a bit of a dramatic way to describe a laryngeal prominence, but here we are. In reality, it’s just the point where the two plates of the thyroid cartilage meet.
What exactly is that bump?
Think of your larynx as a small box made of cartilage. Its main job is to house the vocal cords. During puberty, everyone’s larynx grows. This is why kids sound different than adults. The thyroid cartilage—the biggest piece in the larynx—actually grows the most.
For guys, high levels of testosterone cause the larynx to grow significantly larger and shift position. This makes the angle where the plates meet much sharper. Usually, in men, that angle is about 90 degrees. This creates the classic, visible protrusion.
In women, the angle is much wider, usually around 120 degrees. It’s flatter. Because the "point" is less sharp, it doesn't poke out through the skin as much. It’s still there. You can feel it if you put your fingers on your neck and swallow.
The myth of the missing cartilage
Most people think women don't have an Adam's apple because they can't see a sharp bone-like structure. But it’s not bone. It’s hyaline cartilage. It’s flexible until you get older, and then it starts to calcify and get harder.
Honestly, the visibility of an Adam’s apple in women mostly comes down to genetics and body fat percentage. If a woman has a very thin neck or lower body fat, that laryngeal prominence might be quite noticeable. It doesn't mean she has "too much" testosterone. It just means her anatomy is a bit more visible.
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Dr. Ingo Titze, a world-renowned voice scientist at the National Center for Voice and Speech, has spent decades studying how these structures affect human sound. He notes that the length of the vocal folds is directly tied to the size of the "box" they sit in. Because women generally have smaller boxes, their vocal folds are shorter, resulting in a higher pitch.
Why some women have more prominent bumps
It’s not just about being thin. Sometimes, a woman might have a naturally larger larynx. It happens. There is a huge range of "normal" in human anatomy.
There are also medical reasons why a bump might suddenly appear or become more prominent:
- Goiter: This is an enlargement of the thyroid gland. The thyroid sits just below the Adam’s apple. If it swells, it can push everything forward or look like a large protrusion itself.
- Thyroid Cysts: These are fluid-filled sacs that can develop on the thyroid or the surrounding cartilage.
- Laryngitis: If the larynx is chronically inflamed, the area can look swollen.
- Genetic predisposition: Just like some people have big noses or long toes, some families just have more prominent neck structures.
If you’re a woman and you suddenly notice a new lump in your neck that wasn't there before, don't just assume it’s your Adam’s apple finally showing up. Go see a doctor. It could be a thyroid issue or a nodule that needs checking out.
Gender, surgery, and the "shave"
Because the Adam’s apple is such a strong visual marker of masculinity in our culture, it’s a major focus in gender-affirming healthcare. Transgender women or non-binary individuals often opt for a procedure called a Chondrolaryngoplasty, or more colloquially, a "tracheal shave."
Surgeons basically go in and shave down the front of the thyroid cartilage to reduce the protrusion. It’s a delicate surgery because if you shave too much, you hit the vocal cord attachments and ruin the person's voice forever. It's a game of millimeters.
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On the flip side, some trans men might want a more prominent Adam’s apple. While testosterone therapy will naturally thicken the vocal cords and may slightly enlarge the larynx, it usually won't create a sharp 90-degree bump if puberty has already passed. In these cases, surgeons can actually use rib cartilage or synthetic implants to create the appearance of a larger laryngeal prominence.
The voice connection
Is the Adam's apple just for show? No. It’s the anchor for your voice.
The larger the larynx, the deeper the resonance. Think of a cello versus a violin. The cello is bigger, so it produces lower, richer tones. That’s essentially what happens during male puberty. The "box" gets bigger, the strings (vocal folds) get longer and thicker, and the voice drops an octave.
Women’s vocal folds stay shorter, usually around 12 to 17 millimeters. Men’s can be up to 25 millimeters. That’s a massive difference in the world of acoustics.
Cultural misconceptions
We’ve been conditioned by media to see a smooth neck as "feminine." This leads to a lot of body dysmorphia for women who have naturally prominent cartilage. You’ll see people on forums asking if they are "normal" because they have a bump.
Yes, you’re normal.
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Sandra Bullock, Meg Ryan, and even Kendall Jenner have visible laryngeal structures in certain lighting. It’s just part of being a vertebrate. If you have a neck and you talk, you have the hardware.
Practical health checks
Since the Adam’s apple and the thyroid gland are neighbors, it's easy to confuse them. If you’re looking in the mirror, the Adam’s apple is higher up, right at the top of the "V" of your neck. The thyroid is lower down, closer to the collarbone.
Try this: Take a sip of water. Keep your eyes on your throat. The Adam’s apple will move up and down quite significantly as you swallow. If you see a lump that doesn't move with your swallow, or if it feels "fixed" in place, that’s a signal to get a professional opinion.
Actionable steps for neck health
If you are concerned about the appearance or feel of your throat area, here is how to handle it rationally:
- Perform a self-check: Stand in front of a mirror with a glass of water. Swallow and watch the movement. Feel for any hard, asymmetrical lumps that aren't part of that central "shield" of cartilage.
- Monitor your voice: If you notice a persistent hoarseness or a change in your pitch that lasts more than two weeks, it might not be the cartilage—it could be the vocal folds inside. See an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist).
- Check your iodine: Thyroid issues often manifest as neck swelling. Ensure you're getting enough iodine in your diet (usually through iodized salt) to keep the thyroid gland itself from enlarging and mimicking a prominent Adam's apple.
- Ignore the "perfection" standard: Realize that "smooth" necks in photos are often the result of lighting, makeup, or retouching. Human anatomy is bumpy.
Understanding that do women have an Adam's apple is a question with a "yes" answer helps demystify the body. It’s not a gendered organ; it’s a functional shield for the very thing that gives you a voice. Whether it sticks out or stays hidden is just a matter of degrees and a little bit of skin.