Menarche Group Research Articles

Earlier Menarche in Greek Girls Born by Caesarean Section: A Case-Control Study.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to report on the menarcheal age in girls of Greek origin and assess its potential associations with their demographic and perinatal data, as well as their maternal menarcheal age. Methods: In this case-control study, adolescent girls were recruited between September 2021 and September 2022 from two Pediatric Endocrinology Units, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Eligible participants included Greek girls up to the age of 18 years, with menarche and the absence of chronic disease or chronic medication use. Participants were divided into two groups, the early menarche group and the control group (menarche before or after 11 years of age, respectively). Data included participants' maternal menarcheal age, their chronological age, place of residence, anthropometric data (at recruitment) and perinatal data (birth order, gestational age, type of delivery, birth weight/length). Results: A total of 100 girls aged 7-17 years (mean age ± SD 12.51 ± 2.59 years) were included in this study. The mean ± SD menarcheal age of the total sample was 11.47 ± 1.55 years (median 11.20 years; range 7.50-16.25 years); 43% had early menarche (median menarcheal age 10.50 years; range 7.50-10.91 years), and 57% had menarche after age 11 (median menarcheal age 12.08 years; range 11.00-16.25 years). The caesarean section rate was significantly (p < 0.001) higher in girls with early menarche (83.7%) than controls, whereas other variables did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusions: This Greek sample demonstrated a relatively young age at menarche with a significant proportion of girls with early menarche; in the latter group, the rate of caesarian sections was significantly higher than controls.

Comparison of body image and peer relations among girls with normal, early, and late menarche.

The onset of menstruation is a turning point in women's sexual maturity that, unlike other stages of growth, occurs abruptly and is a critical stage in girls' lives. The present study investigated body image and peer relations among girls with early, late, and normal menarche. This casual-comparative descriptive study included female students aged 9-17 in Isfahan. The participants were selected using multistage cluster random sampling. Out of 5,984 students, 56, 37, and 43 were selected for the normal, early, and late menarche groups. The Body Image Concern Inventory and Index of Peer Relations were the two tools used in this study. Moreover, the data were analyzed using a covariance statistical test. Girls with early menarche had better peer relations than those with late menarche (P = 0.01). In addition, there was a significant difference between adolescents with normal and late menarche in terms of body image (P = 0.01). Girls who experienced late menarche were more concerned about their body image and appearance; however, girls with early menarche experienced more impaired performance (P = 0.05). The first menstrual cycle, or menarche, affects psychological variables such as body image and peer relations. The later the menarche, the fewer problems in regard to body image and peer relations.

Relationship between age at menarche and metabolic diseases in Korean postmenopausal women: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2016-2018.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in postmenopausal women. Early menarche may be associated with an increased risk of metabolic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to investigate the effect of menarche age and the risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome in Korean postmenopausal women. We analyzed 4,933 postmenopausal women (mean age: 64.7 years) using the Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 2016-2018. Subjects were divided into three groups according to menarche age (early menarche: ≤ 12 years (n = 451), reference: 13-16 years (n = 3,421), and late menarche: ≥ 17 years (n = 1,061)). Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) for diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Women with an early menarche age were younger, more educated, and had higher income than the other groups (p-value < 0.001). There were no differences in body mass index, blood pressure, fasting glucose, HbA1c, and cholesterol levels among the three groups. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, early menarche age was significantly associated with the risk of diabetes (OR 1.435, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.069-1.928). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in all subjects was 41.1%. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the OR of metabolic syndrome in the early menarche group was 1.213 (95% CI: 0.971-1.515). The risk of diabetes was 1.43 times higher in postmenopausal Korean women with early menarche. Although the risk of metabolic syndrome was not statistically significant, it showed a tendency to increase in the early menarche group. Our results suggest that age at menarche may be helpful in diabetes risk stratification and early interventions for postmenopausal women.

STROBE: The relationship between asthma and early menarche in Korean adolescents.

We explored the relationship between asthma and early menarche in a representative sample of Korean adolescents.Web-based self-reported data collected from 2006 to 2015 by the Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey were used. Menarche status was divided into “early” (<12 years of age, n = 69,520) and “not early” (≥12 years of age, n = 234,065).Adolescent girls with early menarche exhibited a higher incidence of asthma (8.1% vs 7.4%, P < .001), more frequent school absences because of asthma (10.8% vs 8.7%), and more frequent ≤4-day stretches of school absence (4.6% vs 2.4%) compared with girls with “not early” menarche (all P < .001). Multivariate analysis performed after adjusting for multiple confounders revealed a 1.04-fold (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00–1.07) greater likelihood of asthma in the early menarche than not early menarche group. In addition, the odds ratios for missing school due to asthma for 1 to 3 and ≥4 days per year in the early menarche group were 1.00 (95% CI 1.00–1.02) and 1.21 (95% CI 1.01–1.46), respectively.Adolescents with early menarche exhibited increased incidences of asthma and severe asthma.

Oral Hormone replacement treatment and uterine volume in Korean adolescent with Turner syndrome: retrospective case-control study.

Background: For girls diagnosed Turner syndrome (TS) before puberty, pubertal induction by hormone replacement treatment (HRT) is a generalized treatment of choice. A few studies conducted in TS patients reported that uterine volume (UV) has been significantly smaller in pubertal induction group with HRT. In current study, we aimed to investigate UV among pubertal induction (PI) versus natural menarche (NM) group in TS, and normal control group. In detail, we ought to elucidate the factors that affect uterine development during HRT.

Association between early menarche and suicidal behaviors in Korean girl adolescents.

Early menarche can be the socio-psychological problems. We studied the association between early menarche and suicidal risk behaviors among South Korean girl adolescents using national-wide data.Web-based self-report data from 2006 to 2015 the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey data were used in this study. Menarche status was divided into an “early menarche” group (at <12 years of age) versus “not early” menarche group (at ≥12 years of age).Participants with adolescent girls with early menarche group showed a higher prevalence of substance use, higher levels of stress, poorer self-rated health status, unhappier perceiveness, more frequent depressed mood, inter-sexual kissing or petting, inter-sexual intercourse, homosexual kissing or petting, being the victim or the assailant of sexual assaults, sexual transmitted diseases experience, pregnancy, and abortion experience than the not early menarche group. Adolescent girls with early menarche who had suicidal ideation (25.4% vs 22.2%, P < .001), suicidal plans (4.1% vs 2.6%, P < .001), and suicidal attempts (6.8% vs 5.2%, P < .001) were higher than that in the adolescent girls with not early menarche. A multivariate analysis after adjusting revealed that the odds ratios for suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts were 1.07 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–1.10), 1.35 (95% CI: 1.28–1.41), and 1.13 (95% CI: 1.09–1.18), respectively.Adolescent girl with early menarche was associated with suicidal behaviors.

Age at menarche and risk of hypertension in Chinese adult women: Results from a large representative nationwide population.

This study explored the association between age at menarche and the risk of hypertension in Chinese women. A total of 234 867 women aged ≥18 years from the China Hypertension Survey were included in this study. Participants were required to complete a standard questionnaire. Blood pressure and physical examination of the participants were performed by trained medical staff. Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between age at menarche and other individual characteristics. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios for hypertension by age in years at menarche. The average age at menarche in Chinese women was 14.8 years. Women who were older at menarche were more likely to have a higher body mass index, larger waist circumference, smoke, and have a primary education (p < .05). After adjustments, odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for hypertension across age at menarche groups were 0.912 (0.877–0.948), 0.927 (0.893–0.963), 1.00 (reference), 1.061 (1.020–1.102), and 1.129 (1.090–1.169) for those aged ≤13, 14, 15 (reference), 16, and ≥17 years at menarche, respectively. Each 1‐year delay in menarche was associated with a 6.2% increase in the prevalence of hypertension (odds ratio, 1.062; 95% confidence interval, 1.053–1.071). The positive association between age at menarche and hypertension was evident among age at recruitment groups, BMI categories, and education levels. This association was stronger in urban women and postmenopausal women. Our findings suggest that late menarche is related to a higher risk of hypertension among Chinese adult women, and this association appeared similar among different subgroups.

Characterization of Reproductive and Morphological Variables in Female Elite Futsal Players.

We aimed to characterize the age of onset of training, age at menarche, menstrual periodicity, and performance perception during the menstrual cycle and examined the impact of these reproductive variables on body composition, morphology, and body weight satisfaction in Brazilian elite futsal players. The study consisted of 115 female Brazilian elite futsal players from the top national teams. Data were collected during the twentieth Women’s Brazil Futsal Cup. Players were interviewed and self-reported their age of onset of training, age at menarche, menstrual periodicity, and the menstrual period, where they performed best. We also asked for what they considered to be their ideal body weight as well as information related to their training (i.e., volume and frequency). Subsequently, anthropometric measurements (i.e., body mass, height, circumferences, diameters, and skinfold thickness) were performed to estimate the body composition and determine morphological characteristics (e.g., somatotype). Fifty-nine (53.2%) players were postmenarche-trained and 52 (46.8%) were premenarche-trained. Eighteen (16.2%), 65 (58.6%), and 28 (25.2%) were classified as early, normal, and late menarche, respectively. Only 11 (9.6%) and 1 (0.9%) had irregular menstrual cycles and were amenorrheic, respectively. Seventy-three (69.5%), 23 (21.9%), and 9 (8.6%) reported that their game performance was the best at the follicular phase, menses, and luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, respectively. No associations between the four reproductive-related variables were found. Postmenarche-trained players had significant lower age at menarche and higher percentage body fat. The somatotype profile registered lower ectomorphy rate for the postmenarche-trained participants after controlling for covariates. Early menarche group presented higher sum of six skinfold thickness and endomorphy rate compared to normal and late menarche groups. No differences were found when menstrual periodicity groups and best performance groups were compared, except for higher femur width in the regular menstrual cycle group compared to the irregular one. The association between body weight satisfaction and the four reproductive-related variables were not observed. Premenarche-trained Brazilian elite futsal players had the menarche later than the postmenarche-trained athletes. Most of the participants had menarche age classified as “normal,” presented “regular” menstrual cycles and perceived to perform better during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle.

Analysis on the age of menarche and associated factors of Han, Zhuang and Yao nationality female students in Guangxi

Objective To explore age of menarche and associated factors of Han nationality, Zhuang nationality and Yao nation ality girl in Guangxi, and to provide reference for the development of adolescent health education in schools. Methods The 7-, 10- and 13-year-old girls of Han, Zhuang, Yao nationality were chosed from three counties of Guangxi, and height, weight and other physical indicators were measured for three consecutive years, and age of menarche was inquired. 448 cases of with compete data in the three consecutive years of monitoring. The influencing factors were investigated through questionnaire. Results Age of menarche of the whole sample was 11.83 (95% CI = 11.69—11.96) years old, and that of the Han, Zhuang, Yao nationality was 11.87 (95% CI =11.64-12.09), 11.44(95% CI = 11.25-11.64) and 12.42(95% CI = 12.14-12.70)years old respectively, the difference was statistically significant ( P <0.05). Height, sitting height, weight of menarche group in 12 and 13 years old were significantly higher those of the group without menarche ( P <0.05) . Logistic regression analysis primary sitting height, the chest circumference, intake of seafood, duration of sleep in the night and school exercise time were the primary factors for age at menarche ( P <0.01). Conclusion There are ethnic differences in age of menarche among girls in Guangxi, and it is related to sleep, physical activity and dietary structure. Puberty recated health education for girls might start at the fourth grade of primary school, focusing on the education of health life patten, balanced dietary habits, regularly routine, with the goal of growth and development promotion. 【摘要】 目的 探索广西汉族、壮族、瑶族女生月经初潮年龄的影响因素, 为开展学校青春期健康教育工作提供参考依 据。 方法 运用序列研究法, 在广西 3 县分别抽取汉族、壮族、瑶族 7, 10, 13 岁女生, 连续 3 年进行身髙、体重等体格指标 的测量, 并询问月经来潮情况, 最终选取 3 年连续监测的相同有效样本 448 例。使用生长发育影响因素调査表进行调査。 结果 女生的月经初潮半数年龄为 11.83(95% CI = 11.69~11.96) 岁, 汉族、壮族、瑶族依次为11.87(95% CI = 11.64~12.09)、11.44 (95% CI =11.25~11.64) 和 12.42 岁 (95% CI = 12.14~12.70), 差异有统计学意义 ( P <0.05)。12, 13 岁组月经已 来潮女生的身髙、坐髙、体重等均髙于未来潮组, 差异均有统计学意义 ( P 值均<0.05) 。二分类 Logistic 回归分析显示, 月经 初潮年龄的影响因素主要为坐髙、胸围、海产品的摄人、夜间睡眠时长和在校运动时间 ( P 值均<0.01)。 结论 广西女生月 经初潮半数年龄有民族差异, 与运动情况和膳食结构有关。应在小学四年级开始进行女生青春期健康教育, 可侧重于健康 生活模式的教育, 培养学生均衡的膳食习惯和作息的规律, 促进学生的健康生长。

한국 여자 청소년의 초경 시기에 따른 신체 및 행동요인분석: 2013~2017 국민건강영양조사

The age of menarche is gradually decreasing not only in Korea but also around the world, and is affected by genetic inheritance, physical traits, and the nutritional status of the individual. This study examined the average age of menarche of female adolescents and compared the physical traits, their mother’s menarche age, health status, perceived body shape and self-rated health status, lifestyle, and dietary attitude between adolescents who experienced early menarche and normal menarche. The subjects of this study were 1,009 female teenagers aged 12-18 years who had experienced menarche in the 2013-2017 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. From 2007 to 2017, the average menarche ages of the 12-18 year-old-female adolescents have declined gradually with each passing year, which indicates an increase in the ratio of people who experience early menarche. A comparison of the menarche ages between two groups of 12-14 years and 15-18 years old, according to the general characteristics, showed that the ratio of early menarche was higher in the 12-14 years group. The results of anthropometric measurements, including body weight, waist circumference, and body mass index (BMI), showed that all measurements were higher in the early menarche group than in the normal menarche group. An analysis of BMI based on the criteria of the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity determined that the ratio of underweight was high in the normal menarche group. In contrast, the rate of obesity was high in the early menarche group. The mother’s menarche age was lower in the early menarche group. The percentage of female adolescents who have tried weight-control for one year was high in the early menarche group, and their sleep time was longer than the normal group. The drinking and smoking experience was similar in the two groups, but the age at which drinking began was younger in the early menarche group. The ratio of people who thought that they were obese was significantly higher in the early menarche group. In an analysis of dietary attitudes, the proportion of people who have been educated in nutrition was significantly high in the early menarche group.

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Age at Menarche and Lifetime Nonmedical Marijuana Use: Results from the NHANES 2005-2016.

Early age at menarche has been linked to many adverse health outcomes among women, including substance use. However, little is known on the association between age at menarche and nonmedical use of marijuana, and no study has assessed the potential racial/ethnic differences. In this study, the 2005-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data were used to investigate the association between age at menarche and the risk of lifetime nonmedical use of marijuana. Logistic regression models were used to examine such association adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Interactions between age at menarche and race/ethnicity were also assessed. Among the 10,302 women included, 53.9% had lifetime nonmedical use of marijuana. The regression model shows that women with early menarche had 1.26 (95% CI 1.09, 1.45) times the odds of having lifetime nonmedical use of marijuana compared with women with normal age at menarche. When assessing the association by race/ethnicity, marginally positive associations were observed for both the early and late menarche groups among non-Hispanic White women. However, among women with race/ethnicity other than non-Hispanic White, early menarche is significantly associated with increased risks of lifetime nonmedical marijuana use, while late menarche is significantly associated with decreased risks. This study suggests that early menarche may be a risk factor of lifetime nonmedical use of marijuana, and racial/ethnic differences may exist in the association. Future studies are warranted to examine and confirm these findings.

1631-P: Age at Menarche and Its Association with the Metabolic Syndrome in Type 1 Diabetes

Early menarche has been associated with a higher risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS), CVD and its risk factors in the general population. However, limited data exists regarding the association between age at menarche and MetS in women with type 1 diabetes (T1D), a population in which menarche may be delayed. We thus assessed the ability of age at menarche to predict incident MetS in female participants (n=235) of the EDC study, a cohort of childhood onset T1D. MetS was defined using modified AHA NCEP ATP III criteria: waist circumference ≥ 89 cm; triglycerides ≥ 150 mg/dL or treatment for elevated triglycerides; HDL cholesterol &amp;lt; 50 mg/dL; systolic/diastolic blood pressure ≥130/85 mmHg or on antihypertensive medications. Since all participants met the criteria of hyperglycemia, any two of the remaining four criteria were required for diagnosis of MetS. Participants were divided into 3 menarche timing groups: early (≤11 years, n=22), normal (12∼14 years, n=163) and delayed menarche (≥15 years, n=50). At baseline, women with delayed menarche were with longer diabetes duration and more likely to have lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) compared with the other groups (all p-values&amp;lt;0.05). However, univariately, the incidence of MetS during the 25-year follow-up did not differ by menarche timing group (63.6% vs. 49.1% vs. 46.0%, respectively, p=0.37). In multivariable Cox models, compared with the normal menarche group, women with early and delayed menarche had non-significantly higher (HR =1.42, p=0.26) and lower (HR =0.89, p=0.64) hazards of developing MetS, respectively. Duration of T1D, HbA1c, BMI and smoking history were significantly associated with a greater risk of MetS, whereas eGFR was significantly associated with a lower hazard of MetS. In conclusion, unlike findings in the general population where early menarche increased the risk of MetS, in this cohort of women with T1D the incidence of MetS did not differ significantly by menarche timing group. Disclosure J. Ju: None. D. Rubinstein: None. S.R. El Khoudary: None. T.J. Orchard: None. T. Costacou: None. Funding National Institutes of Health (DK34818)

The relationship between age of menarche with striae among female students

Background: Striae are harmless skin disorders, but can cause cosmetic and psychological concerns. The role of estrogen in reducing adhesion between collagen fibers can cause striae in stretch area. Menarche that occurs during puberty play a role in the increment of estrogen levels. Adolescents who had experienced menarche tend to have higher estrogen levels.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with total sampling method. 151 female students in Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara were included and physical examination on the site of striae was done to confirm diagnosis. Age of menarche is classified as early (≤11 y.o), normal (12-13 y.o) and late (≥14 y.o). Study was conducted after approval from the Ethics Committee Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara.Results: Subjects in early menarche group were 84 (55.6%) subjects, normal were 56 (37.1%) subjects and late were 11 (7.3%) subjects. Median (11.0 y.o) and minimum-maximum age of menarche (9-16 y.o). Sites of striae were found mostly in thighs (66.9%), followed by buttocks (11.8%), calves (7.4%), hips (6.6%), chest (3.7%), upper arms (2.2%) and breasts (1.4%). Subjects with early menarche were 84 subjects in which 78 with striae and 6 without striae. Subjects with normal and late menarche was 67 subjects with 35 having striae and 32 without striae. In this study, we found a significant correlation between age of menarche with striae (p &lt;0.05).Conclusion: Early menarche can induce risk of striae in adolescents

Early menarche as a risk factor for suicidal ideation in girls: The Korea youth risk behavior web-based survey

Puberty, at which point girls experience menarche, is a biologically and psychologically unstable period. This study investigated the association between early menarche and suicidal ideation in girls. This study analyzed data from approximately 35,000 girls from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey every year from 2011 to 2015. The odds ratios of suicidal ideation were compared between the early and average menarche groups. Generally, the odds ratios of suicidal ideation in girls with early menarche were significantly higher than those with average menarche.

Early menarche is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in rural Chinese women and is partially mediated by BMI: the Henan Rural Cohort Study.

The aim of the study was to determine if early menarche is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in rural Chinese women and to estimate the proportion that can be attributed to adiposity. A total of 15,346 postmenopausal women were enrolled in this study. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline analysis were performed to estimate the relationship between age at menarche and T2DM. Mediation analysis was used to investigate whether the association was mediated by body mass index (BMI). After adjusting for multiple confounders, the early menarche group (≤14 y) had a higher risk of T2DM (odds ratio [OR] = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.06-1.38; P = 0.004) compared with the reference group (16-17 y), whereas the late onset group (≥19 y) had a lower risk of T2DM (OR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.66-0.92; P = 0.003). BMI partially mediated the association between age at menarche and T2DM, and the proportion of the effect was 28%. Early menarche increases the risk of T2DM, whereas later menarche decreases the risk. The association seems to be partially mediated by BMI.

Early menarche is associated with insulin resistance in advanced maternal age before delivery

Purpose: With the wide implementation of the universal two-child policy in China, the number of pregnant women in advanced maternal age (AMA) will increase gradually. We aimed to assess the association between age at menarche (AAM) and insulin resistance (IR) before delivery in AMA. Methods: A total of 80 pregnant women in AMA were consecutively enrolled before delivery in Zhongda hospital. Pregnant women were stratified into early menarche group and late menarche group according to the age of regular menstruation (about 13 years). At delivery, serum glucose and lipid levels were measured. IR was calculated by the method of homeostasis model assessment 2(HOMA2). Results: The fasting blood insulin (17.68(9.72–36.71) and 10.35(7.76–15.10), respectively; p = .006) and HOMA-IR (2.08(1.18–4.37) and 1.24(0.89–1.78), respectively; p = .005) were higher in early menarche group than in late menarche group. AAM was inversely associated with HOMA-IR in AMA (r= −0.27, p = .014). In the multivariable analysis, AAM in late menarche group was negatively related to the level of HOMA-IR compared to those in early menarche group (β= −2.275, p≤.0001). Conclusions: Taken together, our findings suggest that AAM was inversely associated with HOMA-IR in AMA. Furthermore, pregnant women in AMA with early menarche might have higher HOMA-IR levels than those with late menarche. Clinical trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (No. ChiCTR-RRC-16008714), retrospectively registered

Identifying menarcheal age and its association with body mass index in young Saudi females.

Objectives:To explore the relationship of menarcheal age with body mass index (BMI), to find mean menarcheal age in Saudi population and compare it with global data, and to create awareness in health science students on harmful effects of obesity.Methods:A cross-sectional study carried out between February 2015 and February 2016 on 744 health sciences students of Immam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia aged 18-21 years. Weight and height was measured, and subjects were categorized into 2 groups on the basis of BMI: normal and underweight (BMI ≤24.9), and over weight and obese (BMI ≥25). The data analyzed was preformed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20.0 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA).Results:Mean menarcheal age of subjects was 13.1 years. Early menarche was observed in 35.6% of the students. Of the 21.7% overweight/obese group, 45.6% reported early menarche. The early menarcheal group had significantly higher BMI compared to late menarcheal group (p=0.021). Significant negative correlation was found between BMI and menarcheal age (p=0.0006).Conclusion:The present study indicates a downward secular trend in the menarcheal age of the Saudi population. Moreover, a negative correlation between BMI and menarcheal age was also documented.

Age at menarche and depression: results from the NHANES 2005-2016.

ObjectiveThe association between early age at menarche and depression among adolescent girls and adult women has been examined in many studies. However, inconsistent results and limitations such as small sample size, low generalizability, and measurement error exist. We aimed to address these issues to assess the association between age at menarche and depressive symptoms in a nationally representative sample of US women aged 18 years and older.MethodsWe used the 2005–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data with a total of 15,674 women aged 18 years and older included in our study. Logistic regression models were used after adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related factors.ResultsThe crude-adjusted model suggests that women with early age of menarche had 1.36 (95% CI [1.16–1.61]) times the odds of current depressive symptoms compared with the normal menarche group, after controlling for age, race/ethnicity, education, poverty income ratio (PIR) and marital status. In the fully-adjusted model, women with early menarche had 1.25 (95% CI [1.05–1.48]) times the odds of current depressive symptoms, after additionally adjusting for smoking status and body mass index (BMI). However, no significant difference was observed between the normal and late menarche groups.ConclusionFurther studies are warranted to determine the causal relationship and mechanisms between early menarche and increased risk of depression.

Estimating Risk of Breast Cancer Occurrences at Different Ages: Application of Survival Techniques

Background:Awareness is the primary means to control breast cancer occurrence. The purpose of the present work is to study the risk of breast cancer occurrence in different age group, for the study area, Assam, India, by means of survival analysis techniques.Methods:Survival and hazard functions are key concepts in survival analysis for describing the distribution of event times. In the present research a new individialized model has been proposed for cumulative hazard function, taking gamma probability distribution as probability distribution of breast cancer occurrences. Kaplan Meier Survival method has been applied to find out the probability of diseases occurrence in the early menarche and late menarche group. The data used for implementation were collected from the Record Department of a prime local cancer institute, for the period 2010-2012. The information for the risk factor age at menarche were collected from the patients registered during August 2011 to February 2012.Results:The study reveals that in the study area, cumulative hazard of the women belonging to 35 to 50 years is higher than the early and late aged women. The cumulative hazard plot with shape parameter 0.5, 1 and 10 shows that cumulative risk for early aged women are greater than the late age women but when this values is increased from 10, the opposite trend is observed. Further, the median age of disease occurrence among early menarche group is 52 years and for late menarche it is 54 years.Conclusion:The model developed could successfully point out the age group for women lying at higher risk of breast cancer occurrence. Additionally the important risk factor, age at menarche, was effectively applied to supplement to this calculation. It is hoped that practical use of this method would enhance not only awareness but also early detection of the said disease.

Pubertal timing and callous-unemotional traits in girls: Associations across two samples from the UK and Cyprus

IntroductionGirls remain an understudied group when examining delinquency. Callous-unemotional traits are chief among personality traits that relate to delinquency. Some suggest, however, that girls who evince callous-unemotional traits delay their delinquent behavior until adolescence. This transitional period encompasses physical factors that relate to engagement in risky decision making, but we don't know how these factors relate to callous-unemotional traits. Early pubertal timing shows positive associations with delinquency; we tested if this was also the case for callous-unemotional traits. MethodsWe tested associations among pubertal timing (i.e., maturity and menarche age), delinquency, and callous-unemotional traits within girls (ages 11–18 years) sampled from two European countries (UK and Cyprus). We also tested the interaction between callous-unemotional traits and pubertal timing in statistically predicting delinquency to test if associations between early puberty and delinquency were moderated by callous-unemotional traits. ResultsGreater callous-unemotional traits were surprisingly negatively related to early pubertal timing. Those girls in the delayed menarche group had the highest level of callous-unemotional traits, higher than the typical and early menarche groups. Only callous-unemotional traits statistically predicted variance in delinquency and no moderation was evident. ConclusionsThe implications are that callous-unemotional traits and the transition to puberty may be particularly important for girls’ adjustment in adolescence, particularly if menarche is delayed allowing girls to avoid punishment by capitalizing on their immaturity.