Savannah Guthrie, the 53-year-old co-anchor of the TODAY show announced she’s taking time off to undergo surgery on her vocal cords.

“Some of you have noticed that my voice has been very scratchy and started to crack a little bit like Peter Brady, who was going through a change,” Savannah joked, referring to a “Brady Bunch” segment in which the character’s voice cracked when the family was singing.

“Well, I have found out what it is. I have vocal nodules, and now I also have a polyp. It’s not a big, big deal, but I am going to have a surgery real early in the new year and be off for a couple of weeks. So, it’s my last day for a little while. So, I just want to let everyone know, and if you’ve been wondering, do I have the world’s longest head cold? No, I don’t.”

According to Entertainment Weekly, Guthrie will need a couple of weeks of quiet time to recover from the procedure.

Vocal cord nodules are small, benign (noncancerous) growths that develop on the vocal cords due to repeated stress or overuse, often referred to as "singer’s nodules" because they frequently affect people who use their voices professionally. These nodules can cause the voice to sound hoarse, scratchy, or breathy.

Vocal cord polyps, on the other hand, are also benign lesions but tend to be softer, larger, and more swollen than nodules. Polyps may result from a single episode of vocal trauma or ongoing irritation and can cause similar symptoms, including changes in voice quality or loss of vocal range.

The cause of vocal cord nodules and lesions is usually overusing your voice or using it incorrectly, says the Cleveland Clinic. Other factors include:

• Smoking.

• Sinusitis.

• Allergies.

• Hypothyroidism.

• Chronic acid reflux or GERD.

• Consuming excessive amounts of alcohol or caffeine.

The vocal cord lesions are diagnosed through a combination of patient history, physical examination, and specialized procedures. Doctors often begin by asking about symptoms and voice habits. Next, they may perform a laryngoscopy, which involves using a small, flexible scope with a camera to visualize the vocal cords directly.

In some cases, stroboscopy — a technique that uses a strobe light to assess vocal cord vibration — may be used for a more detailed evaluation.

Imaging tests and voice assessments can also help confirm the presence and type of lesion. These diagnostic steps allow physicians to determine the best course of treatment for each patient.

Treatment often requires voice rest, therapy, or, as in Savannah Guthrie’s case, surgical intervention. Cysts and polyps usually don’t respond to voice therapy and require surgery. However, voice therapy is required after surgery to lower your risk of irritating the vocal cords and creating new lesions.