Menarche age and the risk of diabetes: A cross-sectional study in South-Eastern Iran

Diabetes is a major public health problem worldwide. This study aimed to determine the relationship between menarche age and overt diabetes in southeast Iran.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 6094 eligible women between the ages of 35 and 70 participating in the Zahedan Adult Cohort Study. Demographic and background data, fertility, anthropometry, and disease history were collected based on a questionnaire. Menarche age was classified into five categories (under 12 years, 12, 13, 14, 15 years and more). Diabetes is defined as a blood sugar of 126 or more according to the definition by the American Diabetes Association. Data analysis was done using SPSS 26 software. Descriptive analysis was performed with frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation; and analytical analysis using chi-square and logistic regression tests. The significance level in this study was p < 0.05.

The participants' mean age was 49.41 ± 8.88, and the mean age at menarche was 13 ± 1.49. 22.8% (1389 women) of participants with diabetes and 77.2% (4705 women) did not have diabetes. The findings showed that the chance of developing diabetes in women with a menarche age <12 years was significantly higher than in women with a menarche age of 13 years (reference) (OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 0.96, 1.51). This relationship was significant after adjusting variables such as body mass index, education level, fertility factors, history of diabetes, and reproductive diabetes (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.90, 1.44, p = 0.04).

Our findings suggest that young age at menarche may be a risk factor for diabetes in adulthood. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings. However, it is suggested to pay attention to it in diabetes screening so that, if possible, by identifying people at risk and implementing prevention programs, the adverse consequences of diabetes can be reduced.