Menarcheal age and the height, weight, and skeletal age of girls age 7 to 17 years

Abstract

Summary This report is based on 1,339 birthday examinations of 200 Brush Foundation Regular Series girls from 7 to 17 years of age. The data used are menarcheal age; measurements of standing height and weight; skeletal age assessments made according to the Todd 1935 standards of six areas—hand, foot, elbow, knee, hip and shoulder; annual increments in height, weight, and skeletal age; weight-height index. Brush Regular Series children are, as a group, above average socio-economically. From 7 to 15 years of age the means of standing height of girls with early menarches are invariably greater than those of girls with late menarches. From 7 to 16 years of age the means of weight of girls with earlymenarches are invariably greater than those of girls with late menarches. From 7 to 16 years of age girls with early menarches are, as a group,characterized by greater weight for height than girls with late menarches. From 7 to 17 years of age the girls in the early menarcheal age groupare advanced in mean skeletal age over the girls in the average menarcheal age group, and the latter, in turn, are advanced in mean skeletal age over those in the late menarcheal age group. The year of maximum increment in standing height is related to menarchealage; the greatest mean annual height increment occurs between 10 and 11 years for girls with menarches from 10 years to 11 years, 11 months; between 11 and 12 years for girls with menarches from 12 years to 12 years, 11 months; and between 12 and 13 years for girls with menarches from 13 years to 15 years, 3 months. Values of maximum annual increments are negatively related to menarcheal age; girls with early menarches experience the greatest acceleration, followed by the greatest deceleration; girls with late menarches experience the least acceleration followed by the least deceleration. The average girl experiences her greatest height increment during the year preceding the year of menarche; maximum increment does occur during the year of menarche; it does occur during the second year preceding menarche, and some girls with late menarches seem to experience little or no premenarcheal acceleration. Maximum increment in standing height, in this series, never occurs after the menarche. For three menarcheal age groups, early, average, and late, mean maximumincrements in weight tend to be spread over a two-year period. The values of maximum increments are negatively related to menarcheal age. The decline in weight increment following the maximum is less marked than the decline in height increment; it is most marked for those with early menarches (and largest maximum increments), least marked for those with late menarches (and smallest maximum increments). Skeletal age is more highly correlated with menarcheal age than arestanding height, weight, weight-height index, or annual increments in standing height. Girls of early, average, and late menarcheal age groups can be differentiated by their assessments of skeletal maturity in advance of the menarche and in advance of the premenarcheal acceleration in height and weight. The mean menarcheal age of 187 girls for whom interpolated skeletalages at the menarche are available is 151.52 months; the mean interpolated skeletal age at menarche of these girls is 156.99 months. Chronologic age at menarche is about twice as variable as skeletal age at menarche. Fifty per cent of the 187 skeletal ages at menarche fall between ± three months of the mean, 156.99 months. It is normal for some children to grow and to develop toward maturityat a rapid rate with, consequently, an early attainment of terminal size; it is normal for some other children to grow and develop toward maturity at a slow rate with, consequently, a late attainment of terminal size. The rate of growth, in this series, has no reliable relationship to terminal size.