Menstruation as the Next Vital Sign

Abstract

Age at menarche (an individual's first period) and menstrual cycle regularity are 2 reproductive factors that reflect the overall health of a population. Wang et al 1 examined trends in age at menarche and time to cycle regularity in a large digital US cohort spanning 55 years and report decreasing age at menarche and longer intervals to regular cycles, indicating worsening health outcomes over time.The authors examined these trends in a cohort that is more racially and ethnically diverse than previous studies. Although the sample is not representative of the overall distribution of race and ethnicity in the US, the authors found that menarche was earlier and time to regularity was longer in Black participants, Asian participants, Hispanic participants, and those of other or multiple races than White participants.Every couple of years, concerns around the decreasing age at puberty arise in the news, often fueled by new evidence published in academic journals. 2,3 Age at puberty is a bioassay of population + Related articleAuthor affiliations and article information are listed at the end of this article.