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Interpreting the Continued Decline in the Average Age at Menarche: Results from Two Nationally Representative Surveys of U.S. Girls Studied 10 Years Apart
Abstract
Objectives To determine whether average age at menarche declined in the United States during the past decade, and whether associations between menarcheal timing, weight status, and race/ethnicity changed.Study design Relative weight, race/ethnicity, and menarcheal status of girls (n = 1577) in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III (1988-1994) were compared with those of girls (n = 1720) in NHANES 1999-2002. Probit analysis estimated average age at menarche overall and also by race/ethnicity. Logistic regression assessed associations of relative weight and race/ethnicity with menarcheal status.Results In the United States, average age at menarche declined from 12.53 years (95% confidence interval [CI] = 12.43 to 12.63 years) in 1988-1994 to 12.34 years (95% CI = 12.24 to 12.45 years) in 1999-2002. By race/ethnicity, average age at menarche estimates were as follows: non-Hispanic whites, 12.57 years (95% CI = 12.45 to 12.69 years) and 12.52 years (95% CI = 12.38 to 12.67 years); non-Hispanic blacks, 12.09 years (95% CI = 11.82 to 12.36 years) and 12.06 years (95% CI = 11.81 to 12.32 years); and Mexican Americans, 12.24 years (95% CI = 11.88 to 12.59 years) and 12.09 years (95% CI = 11.81 to 12.37 years). Higher relative weight was consistently associated with increased likelihood of having reached menarche.Conclusions Average age at menarche in the United States declined by 2.3 months between 1988-1994 and 1999-2002; by race/ethnicity, declines were considerably smaller. Changes in the population distribution of race/ethnicity and relative weight should be considered when interpreting trends in age at menarche.
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“Given the declining age of puberty (and menarche) and decreasing fertility rates in many parts of the world,8–10 the number of years during which a girl or woman will experience monthly menstrual bleeding has expanded along with the number of episodes.”
From Beyond menstrual hygiene: addressing vaginal bleeding throughout the life course in low and middle-income countries (2017) · cites this paper as [8]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Anderson, S. E., & Must, A.
- Affiliations
- Tufts University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Anderson, Sarah E.
- Venue
- The Journal of Pediatrics
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2005-12
- Volume
- 147
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 753-760
- ISSN
- 0022-3476 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2035103139
- Cited by
- 249
- References
- 37
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 12
- FWCI
- 14.57
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of Pediatrics (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (T32DK062032, T32 DK62032-11, P30DK046200)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
- Keywords
- age at menarche, secular trends, adolescent girls, relative weight, body mass index, racial and ethnic differences, puberty onset, NHANES III, United States
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Black or African American, Child, Female, Humans, Menarche, United States, Body Mass Index, Logistic Models, Mexican Americans, Age Distribution, White People
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