Decrease in Menarcheal Age From 1966 to 1983 in Denmark

Helm, Peter; Helm, Sven

doi:10.3109/00016348409155552

Cited by 26 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 11 publications

(5 reference statements)

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“…In Denmark, the mean menarcheal age has declined from approximately 17 years in the 19 th century to approximately 13–13.5 years [18]. In studies of birth cohorts from the same period, as described in the present study, age at menarche declined from 13.8 years to 13.0 years [19], [20], which is supported by our finding of a declining age at puberty in girls born between 1930 and 1969. Interestingly, the tendency towards earlier sexual maturation in Denmark seemed to cease in studies performed after the present study [21]–[23].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Forty Years Trends in Timing of Pubertal Growth Spurt in 157,000 Danish School Children

et al. 2008

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BackgroundEntering puberty is an important milestone in reproductive life and secular changes in the timing of puberty may be an important indicator of the general reproductive health in a population. Too early puberty is associated with several psychosocial and health problems. The aim of our study was to determine if the age at onset of pubertal growth spurt (OGS) and at peak height velocity (PHV) during puberty show secular trends during four decades in a large cohort of school children.Methods and FindingsAnnual measurements of height were available in all children born from 1930 to 1969 who attended primary school in the Copenhagen Municipality. 135,223 girls and 21,612 boys fulfilled the criteria for determining age at OGS and age at PHV. These physiological events were used as markers of pubertal development in our computerized method in order to evaluate any secular trends in pubertal maturation during the study period (year of birth 1930 to 1969). In this period, age at OGS declined statistically significantly by 0.2 and 0.4 years in girls and boys, respectively, whereas age at PHV declined statistically significantly by 0.5 and 0.3 years in girls and boys, respectively. The decline was non-linear with a levelling off in the children born between 1940 and 1955. The duration of puberty, as defined by the difference between age at OGS and age at PHV, increased slightly in boys, whereas it decreased in girls.ConclusionOur finding of declining age at OGS and at PHV indicates a secular trend towards earlier sexual maturation of Danish children born between 1930 and 1969. Only minor changes were observed in duration of puberty assessed by the difference in ages at OGS and PHV.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Forty Years Trends in Timing of Pubertal Growth Spurt in 157,000 Danish School Children

et al. 2008

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“…For example, in Denmark, the average AOM declined by 4 months from 13.40 to 13.03 years between 1965/ 1966 and 1982/1983, a 2.4 months drop in AOM per decade was reported in Brazil among a cohort of women born between 1931 and 1977, and in the USA an average drop in AOM by 2.5 months was observed between 1963-1970 and 1988-1994 with a further decline by 2.3 months in (Helm and Helm, 1984Anderson et al, 2003;Do Lago et al, 2003;Anderson and Must, 2005). Although the decline in timing of menarche over the past century was mainly attributed to improved socioeconomic status (SES), as reflected by better sanitation and nutrition, the ongoing declining secular trend in many developed countries suggests that causes other than socioeconomic changes must also exist (Zacharias and Wurtman, 1969;Marrodan et al, 2000;Danubio et al, 2004;Anderson and Must, 2005;Aksglaede et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since AOM has notably declined over time worldwide (Helm and Helm, 1984;Adadevoh et al, 1989;Papadimitriou et al 1999;Olesen et al, 2000;Anderson et al, 2003;Do Lago et al, 2003;Silva and Padez, 2006)-much more than genetic factors alone can explain-this decrease must presumably have, at least in part, environmental causes. For example, in Denmark, the average AOM declined by 4 months from 13.40 to 13.03 years between 1965/ 1966 and 1982/1983, a 2.4 months drop in AOM per decade was reported in Brazil among a cohort of women born between 1931 and 1977, and in the USA an average drop in AOM by 2.5 months was observed between 1963-1970 and 1988-1994 with a further decline by 2.3 months in (Helm and Helm, 1984Anderson et al, 2003;Do Lago et al, 2003;Anderson and Must, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental age at childbirth and age of menarche in the offspring

Shrestha¹,

Nøhr

Bech

et al. 2010

Human Reproduction

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background: Early age of menarche (AOM) is associated with serious health problems including breast cancer and heart disease.Rising parental age at childbirth is associated with some adverse health outcomes in the offspring, but whether early menarche is one of them is not known. methods:We studied a Danish cohort of singleton females (n ¼ 3168) born in [1984][1985][1986][1987]. Prenatal data were collected from mothers around 36th week of pregnancy (self-administered questionnaire), although the menarcheal age was collected from daughters aged 17 -21 years in 2005 (Web-based questionnaire). We assessed each parental age association in separate linear regression models adjusted for covariates (socioeconomic status, parity, maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, marital status, maternal smoking and daughter's self-reported BMI), then included both ages in a third model. conclusions: We found no significant association between parental age and AOM, but the small sample of advance aged parents (over 30 years) limits the information we have. Future studies with a larger sample or a sample with over-representation of older parents will be of value.

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“…Only small declines in AAM were reported after the 1960s in developed countries such as Denmark [9], the Netherlands [10], the UK [11], Germany [12], Japan [13] and Spain [14]. However, a large cross-sectional study from the USA published in 1997 challenged the belief that the decline in the age of pubertal milestones had reached a plateau, and revealed that the important milestones in pubertal development seem to be occurring at an earlier age in recent decades [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Secular Trends in the Age at Menarche in Israel: A Systematic Literature Review and Pooled Analysis

Flash-Luzzatti

Weil²,

Shalev³

et al. 2014

Horm Res Paediatr

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Background/Aims: A worldwide decline in the age at menarche (AAM) has been reported in recent decades. This trend has been also clinically observed among Israeli women and was reported in our previous study. Methods: We reviewed the literature reporting the mean AAM in Israel during the past century. Studies were excluded if participants had been investigated due to illness or any condition which could affect sexual maturation. Mean AAM was analyzed using a simple linear regression weighted for number of participants in each birth cohort and stratified to birth cohorts before and after 1970, based on the outcome of our previous study. Results: AAM varied little among women born between 1875 and 1970, but there was a clear downwards trend from 13.4 in 1970 to 12.8 two decades later. In a stratified analysis we found a significant negative association between birth year and AAM in the birth cohort after 1970 (standardized β coefficient = -0.94 per year, R² = 0.87; p < 0.001). Conclusion: These results suggest a significant decline in mean AAM in Israeli women born in 1970 or later.

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Decrease in Menarcheal Age From 1966 to 1983 in Denmark

Cited by 26 publications

References 11 publications

Forty Years Trends in Timing of Pubertal Growth Spurt in 157,000 Danish School Children

Forty Years Trends in Timing of Pubertal Growth Spurt in 157,000 Danish School Children

Parental age at childbirth and age of menarche in the offspring

Long-Term Secular Trends in the Age at Menarche in Israel: A Systematic Literature Review and Pooled Analysis

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