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Birth characteristics and age at menarche: results from the dietary intervention study in children (DISC)
Elizabeth H Ruder1, Terryl J Hartman, Michael J Rovine
1Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. rudereh@mail.nih.gov
Objective:
To examine whether birth weight, birth length, and gestational age are individually associated with age at menarche.
Methods:
Analyses were conducted using data from n = 278 female participants in the Dietary Intervention Study in Children (DISC). Age at menarche was prospectively collected as part of the original DISC investigation. DISC participants self-reported birth weight, birth length, and gestational age with assistance from their mothers and other records as part of the DISC06 Follow-up Study at ages 25-29. Linear regression was used to estimate the association of birth characteristics and age at menarche.
Results:
Birth weight was positively associated with age at menarche (p
Conclusions:
Higher birth weight may be associated with a modest delay in age at menarche.
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