The Correlation between the Mothers’ and their Daughters’ Ages of Menarche: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Due to the increased effect of environmental factors on the age of menarche and the correlation between the mothers’ and daughters’ age of menarche, we aimed at performing a meta-analysis to compare the mean age of menarche between the mothers and their daughters, examining the correlation between them. Objective: This systematic review was conducted to determine the heritability of daughters’ age of menarche. Materials and Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, a complete search was carried out in PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct, and CINAHL electronic databases in English with no time limitation. A meta-regression analysis was then performed to evaluate the effect of age and sample size. 13 studies with a total sample size of 9719 for calculating the standardized mean difference and 15 articles with a total sample size of 8840, related to the research objectives, were analyzed in this meta-analysis. Results: The pooled mean of the daughters’ age of menarche was 12.62 yrs. (95% CI: 12.37 – 12.87) and that of the mothers’ age of menarche was 13.58 yrs. (95% CI: 13.31 – 13.81). The standardized mean difference between the mothers’ and daughters’ ages of menarche was -0.72 (CI: -0.99 to -0.44). The results of the meta-analysis revealed that, overall, there is a significant positive correlation between the mothers’ and daughters’ ages of menarche (r=0.27 [CI 95%: 0.17-0.36]). Conclusion: The daughters’ ages of menarche were positively correlated to those of their mothers, but the other environmental factors that may affect this decreasing trend should also be taken into account. Health policy-makers should plan to identify strong predictors, which can be effective in reducing the age of menarche.