Body size and composition of perimenarchal girls

A number of measurements are reported on a cross-sectional sample of girls who were studied at times ranging from 54 months prior to menarche to 82 months after menarche. Included are anthropometric measurements, lean weight, body fat, abdomen-hip ratio, skeletal size, bone age, muscle strength, and urinary hydroxyproline excretion. The years preceding menarche are associated with an array of physiological and anatomical changes, making it difficult to assign a causative role to any one of them.