Birth weight and prepubertal body size predict menarcheal age in India, Peru, and Vietnam

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Human Growth and Development
• Global Public Health

Background:

• Limited evidence exists on birth weight and prepubertal nutrition's impact on menarcheal age in low- and middle-income countries.
• Understanding these factors is crucial for assessing female pubertal development and long-term health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the associations between birth weight, prepubertal nutritional status (height and BMI), and age at menarche.
• To examine these relationships in a multi-country cohort of girls from diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study using the Young Lives younger cohort (Indian, Peruvian, Vietnamese girls born 2001-2002).
• Data collected at ages 1, 5, 8, and 12 years.
• Weibull survival models analyzed birth weight Z-scores (BWZ), age-8 height-for-age Z-scores (HAZ), and BMI-for-age Z-scores (BMIZ), controlling for confounders.

Main Results:

• Higher birth weight Z-scores (BWZ) were associated with a later age at menarche (HR=0.90).
• Greater height-for-age Z-scores (HAZ) and BMI-for-age Z-scores (BMIZ) at age 8 predicted earlier menarche (HR=1.66 and HR=1.28, respectively).
• Associations were consistent across countries, with maternal height and age also influencing menarcheal timing.

Conclusions:

• Birth weight, attained height, and body mass index during prepuberty have robust, opposing associations with menarcheal age.
• These findings highlight the critical role of early life nutrition and growth in regulating pubertal timing in diverse global settings.