Timing of menarche and pubertal growth patterns using the QEPS growth model

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Growth and Development
• Reproductive Health

Background:

• Understanding menarcheal timing and pubertal growth is crucial for assessing reproductive health.
• Variability in these factors can indicate underlying health conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the timing of menarche and postmenarcheal growth.
• To investigate the impact of various variables on menarcheal age and pubertal growth.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal population-based study of 793 Swedish girls (GrowUp1990Gothenburg cohort).
• Analysis of menarcheal timing and postmenarcheal growth using the Quadratic-Exponential-Pubertal-Stop (QEPS) growth model.
• Multivariable models constructed for clinical milestones (birth, age 7, pubertal onset, midpuberty).

Main Results:

• Menarche occurred at a mean age of 13.0 years, aligning with the QEPS model in 71.6% of cases.
• Postmenarcheal growth averaged 8.0 cm, with significant variation (0.2-31.1 cm) and a decrease with later menarche.
• Height at 7 years, childhood BMI, parental height, and QEPS variables significantly impacted menarcheal age.

Conclusions:

• Pubertal growth is strongly linked to age at menarche.
• Predictive models at puberty onset explained 44% of menarcheal age variation.
• Wide variation in postmenarcheal height gain was observed.