A study reveals that girls menstruate earlier than previous generations health

One Stady It was revealed that the first menstruation comes earlier among North American women compared to previous generations. The change is most evident in girls belonging to ethnic minorities and vulnerable socio-economic groups.

Research published in the magazine Gamma networkShe also revealed that many young women suffer from irregular cycles for years, which is a risk factor for various health problems such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and metabolic disorders.

How was the study?

In the study, scientists analyzed data from more than 71,000 women in North America who gave birth between 1950 and 2005. The volunteers were users of Apple products and agreed to share data such as menstrual cycles and women's health.

There were participants of various ethnicities, including blacks, whites, Latinos, and Asians, although whites were the majority. Participants also categorized their socioeconomic level as low, medium, or high.

According to the data, the average age at menarche – the name doctors give to the first menstrual cycle – fell from 12.5 years among those born between 1950 and 1969 to 11.9 years among those born between 2000 and 2005. who identified as Asian, non-Hispanic black, and multiracial, compared with white women, as well as among those of lower socioeconomic status.

Nearly 16% of participants born between 2000 and 2005 were between 9 and 11 years old at menarche, compared with 8% of those born between 1950 and 1969. The study also found that more women had irregular cycles for three or more years after menarche began.

The study, conducted by researchers at Harvard University, reinforced research findings that reached similar conclusions. But the current work goes further.

“Despite the relatively small size of the change in mean lifespan, our study is among the first to show that the percentages of early and very early menarche also increased by approximately two-fold across birth years from 1950 to 2005, raising concerns that the “More people are at risk of contracting the disease.” “They are vulnerable to adverse health outcomes related to early menstruation,” the authors wrote in the paper.

In addition, the scientists brought data from population groups such as Latinos and Asians, who have been underrepresented in research that has looked at age at first menstruation.

The risk of early and irregular menstruation

The study warns against what it calls the vital sign, which is the period between the first menstrual period and a regular menstrual period. “We found that children spend more time [alcançar] Zifan Wang, the study's lead author and postdoctoral researcher, told the newspaper: Washington Post.

“This is also very concerning because irregular cycles are an important indicator of adverse health events later in life. This alerts us. We need to provide more counseling and early intervention about irregular cycles among children and adolescents,” she said.

According to Shruthi Mahalingaiah, co-author of the research, girls who start menstruating early may face health problems later in life. “We need to look at health promotion factors that we can implement to influence not only the age of menarche, but also the timing of menstruation,” he said. Washington Post.

Why does menstruation come early?

Many studies have already tried to answer this question. One of the reasons cited is childhood obesity, which, according to the authors of the new work, could account for up to 46% of cases of early menstruation.

However, scientists recognize that this trend predates the obesity epidemic, suggesting that other causes are linked to the condition. They list some possibilities: environmental factors (eg, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, metals or air pollutants), dietary patterns (eg, sugar intake), psychosocial stress, and adverse childhood experiences.