The DOI matches its Crossref record; 14 of the 14 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Age at Menarche and Racial Comparisons in US Girls
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Concern regarding change in the onset of sexual maturation of US girls has increased the need for current information on age at menarche from a national sample. Previous reports have been sparse and interpretation has been limited because of the racial composition and ages of the samples. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to estimate the distribution of age at menarche for all US girls and for non-Hispanic white, black, and Mexican American girls in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and to test for racial differences. DESIGN: Menstrual status data were collected from 2510 girls aged 8.0 to 20.0 years. The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey followed a complex, stratified, multistage probability cluster design. SUDAAN was used to calculate proportions of girls reaching menarche at an age. Ages at menarche were estimated by probit analysis at the ages at which 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 90% of the girls attained menarche. RESULTS: Less than 10% of US girls start to menstruate before 11 years, and 90% of all US girls are menstruating by 13.75 years of age, with a median age of 12.43 years. This age at menarche is not significantly different (0.34 years earlier) than that reported for US girls in 1973. Age at menarche for non-Hispanic black girls was significantly earlier than that of white girls at 10%, 25%, and 50% of those who had attained menarche, whereas Mexican American girls were only significantly earlier than the white girls at 25%. CONCLUSION: Overall, US girls are not gaining reproductive potential earlier than in the past. The age at menarche of non-Hispanic black girls is significantly earlier than that of non-Hispanic white and Mexican American girls.
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In the citing paper
“By age 15 years, 98% of girls will have experienced menarche [131].”
From Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Pathophysiology, Presentation, and Treatment With Emphasis on Adolescent Girls (2019) · cites this paper as [131]
In the citing paper
“The age at menarche of non-Hispanic black girls is substantially earlier than that of non-Hispanic white and Mexican-American girls, and the mean age for onset of breast development in African-American girls is also earlier than that in white girls.28”
From Pubertal development and regulation (2016) · cites this paper as [28]
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Parent, A.-S., Teilmann, G., Juul, A., Skakkebaek, N. E., Toppari, J., & Bourguignon, J.-P. (2003) · Endocrine Reviews · doi:10.1210/er.2002-0019 · Cited by 1,762
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Examination of US puberty-timing data from 1940 to 1994 for secular trends: panel findings
Euling, S. Y., Herman-Giddens, M. E., Lee, P. A., Selevan, S. G., Juul, A., SØrensen, T. I. A., Dunkel, L., Himes, J. H., Teilmann, G., & Swan, S. H. (2008) · PEDIATRICS · doi:10.1542/peds.2007-1813d · Cited by 662
Metadata
- Authors
- Chumlea, W. C., Schubert, C. M., Roche, A. F., Kulin, H. E., Lee, P. A., Himes, J. H., & Sun, S. S.
- Affiliations
- Wright State University (US)
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Venue
- PEDIATRICS
- Publisher
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
- Published
- 2003-01-01
- Volume
- 111
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 110-113
- ISSN
- 0031-4005 (ISSN-L)
- 1098-4275
- OpenAlex
- W2107661454
- Cited by
- 685
- References
- 14
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 33 · 2020: 39 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 46 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 40 · 2015: 44 · 2014: 35 · 2013: 45 · 2012: 31
- FWCI
- 21.10
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- PEDIATRICS (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD38356, R01HD038356)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Menstrual Health and Disorders
- Keywords
- age at menarche, racial differences, menstrual status, fertility, NHANES III
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Black or African American, Child, Female, Humans, Menarche, Population Surveillance, Puberty, Precocious, Surveys and Questionnaires, United States, Mexican Americans, Age Distribution, Black People, White People
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