Korean J Pediatr.  2016 Sep;59(9):355-361. 10.3345/kjp.2016.59.9.355.

Effects of early menarche on physical and psychosocial health problems in adolescent girls and adult women

• Yoo JH

• KMID: 2353145
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3345/kjp.2016.59.9.355

Abstract

The menarcheal age of Korean women has been rapidly decreasing for the last 50 years, and the average menarcheal age of women born in the 1990s is approaching 12.6 years. In addition, interest in early puberty has been increasing recently owing to the rapid increase in precocious puberty. Generally, out of concern for short stature and early menarche, idiopathic central precocious puberty in female adolescents is treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs. Studies to date have described the association between early menarche and psychosocial problems such as delinquency and risky sexual behavior, as well as physical health problems such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and breast cancer throughout the lifespan of women. However, the pathophysiological mechanism underlying this association has not been clarified thus far. In this article, we review and discuss the existing literature to describe the current understanding of the effects of early menarche on the physical and psychosocial health of adolescent girls and adult women.

Keyword

Menarche; Risk behavior; Sexual behavior; Diabetes mellitus; Breast neoplasms

MeSH Terms

Adolescent*
Adult*
Breast Neoplasms
Cardiovascular Diseases
Diabetes Mellitus
Female
Female*
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone
Humans
Menarche*
Obesity
Puberty
Puberty, Precocious
Risk-Taking
Sexual Behavior
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone