US Study Finds Girls Are Undergoing Early Menarche: Here's Why Its Concerning

A recent study showed that girls in the United States are having their first period increasingly earlier over the last five decades. Researchers at Harvard University and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) found that this is particularly prominent among Black, Hispanic, Asian and mixed-race participants, and among those who reported lower socioeconomic status. The scientists also described why this trend of early menarche is a cause for alarm, as it can cause problems later in life.

Early Menarche: Cause For Concern

The study published in JAMA Network Open surveyed more than 71,000 participants born between 1950 and 2005 on when they attained menarche and when it became regular, particularly focusing on certain demographic information. The subjects were divided into five generational brackets and found that girls are increasingly getting their first period at an early age.

Women born in the oldest bracket, between 1950-1969, got their period at 12.5 years old on average, compared to 11.9 years old for the youngest group, born between 2000-2005. Additionally, the rate of people getting a first period early (younger than 11) or very early (younger than nine) roughly doubled between the oldest and youngest generations.

For the oldest group, 8.6% got a period before 11 years old, compared to 15.5% of people in the youngest generation. Meanwhile, 0.6% of people in the oldest generation got a period before age nine, compared to 1.4% in the youngest generation. The researchers asserted that the study also aimed to understand sociological influences on menarche. 

The study's lead author Zifan Wang, said, "This is important because early menarche and irregular periods can signal physical and psychosocial problems later in life." Wang is a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard University’s TH Chan School of Public Health and lead author of the study. The longitudinal research, checking back on the group over the years, started in 2019.

Early Puberty In India

In India too, the early onset of puberty among girls and boys has been a cause for concern among medical experts. The National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (NIRRCH), under the Indian Council of Medical Research recently launched a nationwide survey to assess the rate of early onset of puberty in Indian children or adolescents.

Experts have observed a rise in precocious puberty, especially after the COVID-19 outbreak. Girls are facing puberty before the age of eight and boys are facing it before the age of nine. While there is no recorded data for puberty trends before the pandemic, researchers are planning to rely on anecdotal evidence from paediatricians and gynaecologists across India.

In 2017, a cross-sectional study among girls in the age group of 11 to 15 years in two schools in Kollam, Kerala, put the prevalence at a significant 10.4%. Worldwide research from 2020, by scientists from Denmark, the UK, and the US, has shown that the age of puberty across the globe has been dropping by about three months every decade over the past 40 years. 

Why Is This A Problem

According to reports, the early onset of puberty or menstruation can have long-term implications. The onset of puberty fuses growth plates, meaning people who hit puberty early may not reach their maximum genetic height. It can also elevate women’s risk of cardiovascular diseases and breast cancer. Moreover, it can also have social impacts on the children.

As early puberty may not align with cognitive development, it can have an acute influence on psychological development. Reports state that early puberty is also associated with an increased risk of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and suicidal tendencies. Moreover, children who experience early puberty are also at an increased risk for sexual violence or early pregnancies.

Dr Anne-Marie Amies Oelschlager, a pediatric gynaecologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine, told The Guardian that early puberty can be "quite distressing for patients and their parents. If someone is showing signs of puberty before age eight, or if they haven’t had a period by age 15, they should talk to their doctor about it.”