Influence of Childhood Adversity and Infection on Timing of Menarche in a Multiethnic Sample of Women.

Ayana K April-Sanders,Jasmine A Mcdonald,Carmen B Rodriguez,Erica Lee Argov,Shakira F Suglia,Parisa Tehranifar

doi:10.3390/ijerph18084080

Abstract

Childhood adversities (CAs) and infections may affect the timing of reproductive development. We examined the associations of indicators of CAs and exposure to tonsillitis and infectious mononucleosis (mono) with age at menarche. A multiethnic cohort of 400 women (ages 40–64 years) reported exposure to parental maltreatment and maladjustment during childhood and any diagnosis of tonsillitis and/or mono; infections primarily acquired in early life and adolescence, respectively. We used linear and relative risk regression models to examine the associations of indicators of CAs individually and cumulatively, and history of tonsillitis/mono with an average age at menarche and early onset of menarche (<12 years of age). In multivariable models, histories of mental illness in the household (RR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.01–2.06), and tonsillitis diagnosis (RR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.20–2.33) were associated with early menarche (<12 years), and with an earlier average age at menarche by 7.1 months (95% CI: −1.15, −0.02) and 8.8 months (95% CI: −1.26, −0.20), respectively. Other adversities indicators, cumulative adversities, and mono were not statistically associated with menarcheal timing. These findings provided some support for the growing evidence that early life experiences may influence the reproductive development in girls.

Highlights

Puberty is a pivotal period for human growth and development that culminates in sexual maturity [1]
Available data suggested that childhood infections may be associated with the timing of menarche but the direction of these associations and whether they represent causal associations merit further investigation. In this cohort of socially diverse women, largely of immigrant background, we noted that mental illness in the household during childhood and a history of tonsillitis were associated with an earlier age at menarche
Other forms of childhood adversity and a history of infectious mononucleosis showed no evidence of association with female pubertal timing

Summary

Introduction

Puberty is a pivotal period for human growth and development that culminates in sexual maturity [1]. In girls, this development is a continuous process and is typically characterized first by breast development, followed by pubic hair growth, and the initiation of the menstrual cycle (or menarche), with the latter being one of the final secondary sex characteristics of pubertal maturation [1]. Pubertal maturation in girls (

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