February 2017 Vol.5 No.1

Abstract
• Full text
•Reprint (PDF) (330 KB)

Search Pubmed for articles by:
 

Original Research Article

Systematic Review on Secular Trends and Determinants of Age at Menarche

Waqar-ul-Haq

Department of Science, Ayesha Sadeeqa Post Graduates Girls College, Rajanpur; Pakistan

E-mail: nicewaqar83@yahoo.com/waqarhq@yahoo.com
Tel.: +92 3330683844

Accepted January 28, 2017

Abstract

Adolescent girls when face bleeding from vagina for the first time; is known as menarche that influence lateral life. This review summarizes the findings of important associated environmental factors and reasons in determining the secular trends as well as for exact age of menarche in different ethnicities. The databases of Pubmed and Google Scholar were searched out for 1260 articles using the key words; “adolescent girls; age at menarche; association; environmental factors”. All retrieved articles were screened and finally 77 articles were taken into account to study the secular trend and influence of environment factors on the age at menarche. The detailed review of such studies confirmed that menarcheal age in girls had trend to decline; even age of menarche <12 years. The relationship of environment factors with age at menarche has been found controversial during the literature search. The occurrence of changes in birth weight, weight at childhood, adolescent height and socioeconomic status have affect the mean age at menarche but to know the valid marker responsible for such secular change is still a question in solving the problem.

Keywords: Adolescent girls, Age at menarche, Association, Environmental factors