Age at Onset of Menarche and Puberty of Girls in Aydin Region and the Factors Affecting Them

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: In this study, we aimed to determine the range of mean age at onset of menarche (AOM) and puberty (AOP) of girls living in Aydin province and to determine the factors affecting the onset age of menarche. METHODS: A total of 1891 girls aged between 8 and 16 years attending primary, secondary and high schools in Aydin province were planned to be included in the study. A questionnaire that was prepared in line with the literature was delivered to the parents in a closed envelope. The subjects who accepted to participate in the study were examined by an experienced physician by measuring height and weight and pubertal status was defined according to Tanner scale. BMI values were calculated. RESULTS: In total, 1520 female students were accepted to the study with the permission of their families. The mean AOM of participants was 12.11±1.32 years. The mean AOM was 13.12±1.46 years for their mothers, and 12.73±1.25 years for their sisters. June was the month that menarche occurred most frequently. We observed that the children living in rural areas had an earlier age of menarche. The mean age at onset of puberty was 9.71±1.46 years. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Our study is important in terms of being the first study conducted in Aydin province that determined the mean AOM and AOP of girls aged between 8 and 16. In our study, we showed that the age of menarche shifted to an early age, while the age of puberty did not shift. The age at onset of menarche and puberty were similar to the results obtained in other studies conducted in neighboring regions. We believe that larger scale studies may contribute to assess the actual mean age at menarche of girls living in Turkey.