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. 2010 Sep;21(9):1379-86.
doi: 10.1007/s10552-010-9565-y. Epub 2010 May 22.

Birth characteristics and age at menarche: results from the dietary intervention study in children (DISC)

Elizabeth H Ruder  1 , Terryl J Hartman, Michael J Rovine, Joanne F Dorgan
Affiliations

Birth characteristics and age at menarche: results from the dietary intervention study in children (DISC)

Elizabeth H Ruder et al. Cancer Causes Control. 2010 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: To examine whether birth weight, birth length, and gestational age are individually associated with age at menarche.

Methods: Analyses were conducted using data from n = 278 female participants in the Dietary Intervention Study in Children (DISC). Age at menarche was prospectively collected as part of the original DISC investigation. DISC participants self-reported birth weight, birth length, and gestational age with assistance from their mothers and other records as part of the DISC06 Follow-up Study at ages 25-29. Linear regression was used to estimate the association of birth characteristics and age at menarche.

Results: Birth weight was positively associated with age at menarche (p <or= 0.01) in multiple regression analyses after controlling for BMI-for-age percentile, race and DISC treatment group. No statistically significant relationships were detected between either length or gestational age and age at menarche.

Conclusions: Higher birth weight may be associated with a modest delay in age at menarche.

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