A Study Of Age At Menarche, The Secular Trend And Factors Associated With It

Abstract

Background: Considering the economic and industrial development of India, the secular trend in age at menarche, observed in European, North American and other countries is likely to exist in Indian girls.Aim : Present study attempts to find the mean age at menarche in girls of Pune city (Maharashtra), study its secular trend and the association of age at menarche with socioeconomic status, diet and exercise.Subjects and methods : Age of menarche of 742 Maharashtrian girls (age 9 to 16 years) was studied.Results and conclusion : Mean menarcheal age was 12.62 +/-1.05 years. The secular trend in the age at menarche was well demonstrated in Maharashtrian urban girls. The mean age of menarche observed in our study possibly indicate the stabilization of the secular trend. The age at menarche is strongly associated with socioeconomic status, but not with type of diet and day-to-day physical activity.Knowledge of the age at menarche will help the government to design and implement programmes about reproductive health of women, to set laws about age at marriage, family planning, abortion etc and to decide the appropriate age at which the topics like the sex education, contraception and sanitary practices can be incorporated in schools.