BACKGROUND: We hypothesize that premenopausal endogenous estradiol may be associated with age at menarche and adult overweight and obesity, potentially contributing to breast cancer risk. METHODS: We assessed age at menarche by questionnaire among 204 healthy Norwegian women, aged 25-35 years. Measures of body composition included body mass index (BMI, kg/m(2)), waist circumference (WC, cm), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and fat percentage dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, (DEXA). Daily salivary 17-beta-estradiol (E(2)) concentrations were collected throughout one entire menstrual cycle and assessed by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Linear regression analyses and linear mixed models for repeated measures were used and potential confounding factors and effect modifiers were tested. RESULTS: Among women with an early age at menarche (
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate pubertal development and peripheral concentrations of gonadotrophins and sex hormones in children with shunted hydrocephalus compared with healthy controls. STUDY DESIGN: 114 patients (52 females, 62 males) and 73 healthy controls (35 females, 38 males) aged 5 to 20 years were analysed for stage of puberty, age at menarche, testicular volume, basal serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinising hormone (LH), sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), testosterone and oestradiol concentrations, and free androgen index. RESULTS: Male gonadal and male and female pubic hair development occurred significantly earlier in the patients than in the controls. The mean age at menarche was significantly lower in the female patients than in their controls (11.7 v 13.2 years; p
Department of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention, National Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 30, Mannerheimintie 164, 00271 Helsinki, Finland. karoliina.wehkalampi@helsinki.fi
Among people born at term, low birth weight is associated with early puberty. Early maturation may be on the pathway linking low birth weight with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Subjects born preterm with very low birth weight (VLBW;
Substance use is among the key public health threats that find its genesis during adolescence. Timing of puberty has been lately researched as a potential predictor of subsequent substance abuse. The present study, therefore, aims to assess the effect of age at menarche on current practices of smoking, alcohol drinking and drug use among 14-15 year old Canadian girls.
The analysis of the study was based on all female respondents aged 14 to 15 years during Cycle 4 (2000/2001) of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children & Youth (NLSCY). The main independent variable was age at menarche assessed as the month and year of the occurrence of the first menstrual cycle. The dependent variables were current smoking, heavy alcohol drinking in the past 12 months and drug use in the past 12 months. Three logistic regression models were performed to investigate the association between age at menarche and each of the substance use outcomes, adjusting for possible confounders. Bootstrapping was performed to account for the complex sampling design.
The total weighted sample included in the analysis represented 295,042 Canadian girls. The prevalence of current smokers, heavy drinkers (drunk in the past 12 months) and drug users in the past 12 months was approximately 22%, 38% and 26%, respectively. After adjusting of all potential confounders, no association was found between age at menarche and any of the substance use outcomes. School performance and relationship with the father, however, stood out as the main variables to be associated with smoking, heavy drinking and drug use.
Qualitative studies understanding the social and psychological changes experienced by early maturing Canadian adolescents are warranted to identify other correlates or pathways to substance use in this higher risk population.
Notes
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We sought to evaluate the impact of later menarche on the risk of operative delivery.
We studied 38,069 eligible women (first labors at term with a singleton infant in a cephalic presentation) from the Norwegian Mothers and Child Cohort Study. The main exposures were the age at menarche and the duration of the interval between menarche and the first birth.
Poisson's regression with a robust variance estimator.
Operative delivery, defined as emergency cesarean or assisted vaginal delivery (ventouse extraction or forceps).
A 5 year increase in age at menarche was associated with a reduced risk of operative delivery (risk ratio [RR] 0.84, 95%CI 0.78, 0.89; p?
Given the downward trend in age at menarche and its implications for the reproductive health and wellbeing of women, little is known about menarcheal age in Canada. Most Canadian studies are only representative of specific populations. The present study, therefore, aims to assess the distribution of age at menarche for Canadian girls and explore its variation across socio-economic and demographic factors.
The analysis of the study was based on all female respondents aged 14 to 17 years during Cycle 4 (2000/2001) of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children & Youth (NLSCY). The main outcome was age at menarche assessed as the month and year of the occurrence of the first menstrual cycle. Kaplan Meier was used to estimate the mean and median of age at menarche. Chi-square test was used to assess the differences in early, average and later maturers across the different levels of socio-economic and demographic variables. Bootstrapping was performed to account for the complex sampling design.
The total number of girls analyzed in this study was 1,403 weighted to represent 601,911 Canadian girls. The estimated mean and median of age at menarche was 12.72 years (standard deviation = 1.05) and 12.67 years, respectively. The proportions of early ( 13.91 years) were 14.6% (95% confidence interval (CI): 11.92-17.35), 68.0% (95% CI: 63.82-72.17) and 17.4% (95% CI: 14.10-20.63), respectively. Variations across the menarcheal groups were statistically significant for the province of residence, household income and family type.
The findings of the study pave the way for future Canadian research. More studies are warranted to understand menarcheal age in terms of its variation across the provinces, the secular trend over time and its potential predictors.
Notes
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In the last two centuries, age at menarche has decreased in several European populations, whereas adult height has increased. It is unclear whether these trends have ceased in recent years or how age at menarche and height are related in individuals. In this study, the authors first investigated trends in age at menarche and adult height among 286,205 women from nine European countries by computing the mean age at menarche and height in 5-year birth cohorts, adjusted for differences in socioeconomic status. Second, the relation between age at menarche and height was estimated by linear regression models, adjusted for age at enrollment between 1992 and 1998 and socioeconomic status. Mean age at menarche decreased by 44 days per 5-year birth cohort (beta = -0.12, standard error = 0.002), varying from 18 days in the United Kingdom to 58 days in Spain and Germany. Women grew 0.29 cm taller per 5-year birth cohort (standard error = 0.007), varying from 0.42 cm in Italy to 0.98 cm in Denmark. Furthermore, women grew approximately 0.31 cm taller when menarche occurred 1 year later (range by country: 0.13-0.50 cm). Based on time trends, more recent birth cohorts have their menarche earlier and grow taller. However, women with earlier menarche reach a shorter adult height compared with women who have menarche at a later age.
Association of age at menarche with cardiovascular risk factors, vascular structure, and function in adulthood: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study.
It is unclear whether age at menarche is an independent determinant of future cardiovascular risk.
We aimed to determine whether menarcheal age is an independent predictor of body mass index (BMI) and a wide range of cardiovascular risk factors in adolescence and adulthood.
We examined the associations of menarcheal age with BMI (in kg/m(2)) and other cardiovascular risk factors in adolescence and adulthood in a population-based sample of 794 female adolescents aged 9-18 y at baseline. Their age at first menstruation was requested at baseline and again 3 and 6 y later. Cardiovascular risk factors were assessed at baseline and at age 30-39 y.
A 1-y decrease in menarcheal age was associated with 0.81 (95% CI: 0.53, 1.08) higher adult BMI as well as greater waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio, elevated systolic blood pressure, higher insulin resistance, and greater risk of metabolic syndrome (P
Little is known about the impact of age at menarche on later mortality. In a cohort of 61,319 Norwegian women interviewed in 1956-1959, the authors analyzed associations between age at menarche and all-cause mortality. A total of 36,114 women died during the 37 years of follow-up. An inverse association was found between age at menarche and the all-cause mortality rate (p
Body weight is associated with reproduction and related behaviors, but it is unknown whether it has significance for fertility differences in the general population. We examined whether adolescent body mass index (BMI; kg/m) predicted the number of children in adulthood 21 years later.
The participants were 1298 Finnish women and men (ages 12, 15, and 18 years at baseline) followed in a prospective population-based cohort study (the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns) from year 1980 to 2001.
There was an inverted J-shaped association between BMI and the number of children, such that underweight adolescents had 10-16% fewer children in adulthood, overweight adolescents 4-8% fewer, and obese adolescents 32-38% fewer than individuals with normal adolescent weight. This association was similar in women and men, and independent of age, education, urbanicity of residence, and timing of menarche (in women). Adolescents with low or high BMI were less likely to have lived with a partner in adulthood, which partly accounted for their decreased number of children. The influence of adolescent BMI was independent of adulthood BMI in women but not in men. Age at menarche also predicted the number of children, such that women with early or late menarche had more children than those with average age at menarche.
Underweight and especially obesity may have a negative impact on fertility in the general population. The increasing prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents may represent a concern for future reproductive health.
