Delayed menarche in swimmers in relation to age at onset of training and athletic performance

Competitive swimmers have been considered to be different from other female athletes in that their mean age at menarche is similar to that of nonathletes. However, it was hypothesized that if the delayed menarche observed in athletes of other sports is caused by prepubertal training, then swimmers should also exhibit delayed menarche as the majority of swimmers begin training prior to puberty. Furthermore, if early prepubertal training is the important factor in delaying menarche, then it was hypothesized that a relationship between performance and age at menarche in swimming is unlikely to exist. Thus, 345 competitive female swimmers and 549 control subjects completed questionnaires concerning general health, athletic training history, and age at menarche. Results indicated that, as a population, the mean age at menarche of the swimmers (13.4 yr) was significantly later than the controls (13.0 yr). When swimmers and controls were compared on an age-group basis, it was found that the difference in age at menarche was due to the data obtained from the older and more highly competitive swimmers. Assigning swimmers to different competitive levels or by performance in specific swimming events (50- or 100-yd freestyle; 45.7- or 91.4-m, respectively) indicated a significantly later age at menarche for the more competitive swimmers. Thus, there is evidence that the age at menarche and subsequent athletic performance in swimming are related; the later menarche observed in swimmers appears to be associated with factors that select for superior performance.