Comparison of Menarche Age between Two Generations (tehran Lipid and Glucose Study)

Objectives: Menarcheal age is considered to be an indicator of puberty. There is a lack of information on menarcheal age in Tehranian girls, in comparison to that of their mothers. This cross-sectional study was aimed at comparing the age of menarches between two generations. Methodology: The subjects were 812 (406 daughters and 406 mothers) chosen from among 15005 participants of the longitudinal Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. Demographic information and the age of menarche were recorded in a questionnaire. We have considered a minimal of 25 years duration to be one generation. Distribution of the menarcheal age and linear regression were performed. Results: The mean age of menarche in daughters and their mothers were 13.2±1.4 and 13.6±1.5 years, respectively. There was significant correlation between the mother’s and daughter’s menarcheal age (r=0.25, P<0.002). 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles for menarcheal ages in daughters and their mothers were 12.2, 13.1, 14.1 and 12.7, 13.5, 14.5 years respectively. Minimum and maximum ages of menarche were the same (10 and 18 years) in the two groups. Conclusion: We found a decrease in the average menarcheal age during 25 years (one generation) similar to the results of other studies. KEY WORD: Menarche, Adolescence, Women, Puberty. Pak J Med Sci July September 2007 Vol. 23 No. 4 523-525 1. Elaheh Ainy, Research Associata Obstetric & Gynecology Unit, 2. Yadolah Mehrabi, Statistician, Statistic Unit, 3. Fereidoun Azizi, President, Endocrine Research Center, 1-3: Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran.