Investigating the Characteristics of Pelvic Ultrasound in Girls With Their First Menstrual Cycle: A Two-Center Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background and aims: One of the important modalities in the case of precocious puberty diagnosis is pelvic ultrasonography. This method provides information about the internal uterus and ovaries. The aim of this study is to assess pelvic sonography parameters in Iranian girls who experience menarche.

Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the radiology department of Akbar and Dr. Sheikh hospitals in 2022. The onset of puberty symptoms should not have been before 8 years old. A pediatric endocrinologist visited all the participants to ensure a normal puberty process. An expert radiologist conducted ultrasound parameters measurements. A predesigned questionnaire was used to assess the demographic and anthropometric data, and all data were analyzed.

Result: Fifty girls were enrolled in the study with a median age of 11 years old. The mean of the longitudinal diameter of the uterus was 61.8 ± 7.59 mm, the mean of the transverse diameter of the uterus was 35.91 ± 5.01 mm, the mean of the anteroposterior diameter of the uterus was 24.76 ± 4.81 mm, and the mean of the uterus volume was 30.04 ± 11.84 cm³. The association of weight, height, and BMI with different sonography measurements was assessed. No significant association between these findings and BMI was found (p > 0.05); however, a significant correlation was found between height and anteroposterior diameter of the uterus (p = 0.015). Linear regression analysis showed a positive relationship between height and anteroposterior diameter of the uterus (p = 0.027).

Conclusion: The ultrasonography measurements may differ among different populations, and studies should be conducted on different ethnicities. Our results were comparable to those of other studies; however, the age differed, and the studies did not focus on menarche time.

Keywords: menarche; puberty; ultrasound; uterus.