Age at Menarche among Indonesia Boarding School Students

Abstract

Background: Menarche is a crucial indicator of a female’s sexual development because of the interaction of the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis with the reproductive and endocrine systems. The timing of menarche appears to have shifted to younger ages over the past century. A risk factor for early menarche is a lifestyle change, notably the frequency with which fatty meals and junk food are consumed. This study aimed to determine the mean age at menarche in Indonesian adolescents, especially boarding school students in Surabaya. Method: This cross-sectional research included Alif Laam Miim Islamic Boarding School students in Surabaya. The students’ menarche ages were obtained via direct interviews, and their height and weight were assessed using conventional anthropometry. SPSS was used to do the statistical analysis. Mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage were used to represent descriptive data. Results: This study included 45 girls with a mean age of 13.72 + 0.72 years old. The mean age of menarche was 11.45 + 0.99, and 3 (6.66%) of our subjects had not had menstruation yet. One student (2.22%) experienced menarche at the age of 9. We found no statistically significant correlation between the mean age of menarche with nutritional status (p = 0.308; r= -0.155). Conclusions: Our study taken on Boarding school students found that the mean age of menarche was 10.66 + 3.03 and it was relatively younger than other studies taken in Indonesia.