Skip to main content

Advertising Disclaimer »

Main menu

  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors/Reviewers
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Guidelines
    • Reviewer Guidelines
    • Open Access
    • Editorial Policies
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Online First
    • Archive
    • Blogs
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • AAP Meeting Abstracts
  • Pediatric Collections
    • COVID-19
    • Racism and Its Effects on Pediatric Health
    • More Collections...
  • AAP Policy
  • Supplements
  • Multimedia
    • Video Abstracts
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers
  • Other Publications
    • American Academy of Pediatrics

User menu

  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
American Academy of Pediatrics

AAP Gateway

Advanced Search

AAP Logo

  • Log in
  • My Cart
  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors/Reviewers
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Guidelines
    • Reviewer Guidelines
    • Open Access
    • Editorial Policies
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Online First
    • Archive
    • Blogs
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • AAP Meeting Abstracts
  • Pediatric Collections
    • COVID-19
    • Racism and Its Effects on Pediatric Health
    • More Collections...
  • AAP Policy
  • Supplements
  • Multimedia
    • Video Abstracts
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers

Discover Pediatric Collections on COVID-19 and Racism and Its Effects on Pediatric Health

American Academy of Pediatrics
Article

Age at Menarche and Racial Comparisons in US Girls

William Cameron Chumlea, Christine M. Schubert, Alex F. Roche, Howard E. Kulin, Peter A. Lee, John H. Himes and Shumei S. Sun
Pediatrics January 2003, 111 (1) 110-113; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.111.1.110
William Cameron Chumlea
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Christine M. Schubert
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Alex F. Roche
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Howard E. Kulin
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Peter A. Lee
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
John H. Himes
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Shumei S. Sun
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments
Loading

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Download PDF

Abstract

Background. Concern regarding change in the onset of sexual maturation of US girls has increased the need for current information on age at menarche from a national sample. Previous reports have been sparse and interpretation has been limited because of the racial composition and ages of the samples.

Objective. The objectives of this study were to estimate the distribution of age at menarche for all US girls and for non-Hispanic white, black, and Mexican American girls in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and to test for racial differences.

Design. Menstrual status data were collected from 2510 girls aged 8.0 to 20.0 years. The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey followed a complex, stratified, multistage probability cluster design. SUDAAN was used to calculate proportions of girls reaching menarche at an age. Ages at menarche were estimated by probit analysis at the ages at which 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 90% of the girls attained menarche.

Results. Less than 10% of US girls start to menstruate before 11 years, and 90% of all US girls are menstruating by 13.75 years of age, with a median age of 12.43 years. This age at menarche is not significantly different (0.34 years earlier) than that reported for US girls in 1973. Age at menarche for non-Hispanic black girls was significantly earlier than that of white girls at 10%, 25%, and 50% of those who had attained menarche, whereas Mexican American girls were only significantly earlier than the white girls at 25%.

Conclusion. Overall, US girls are not gaining reproductive potential earlier than in the past. The age at menarche of non-Hispanic black girls is significantly earlier than that of non-Hispanic white and Mexican American girls.

  • menarche
  • age
  • menstruation
  • NHANES III
  • race
  • Received March 26, 2002.
  • Accepted July 24, 2002.
  • Copyright © 2003 by the American Academy of Pediatrics

Individual Login

Log in
You will be redirected to aap.org to login or to create your account.

Institutional Login

via Institution

You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your librarian or administrator if you do not have a username and password.

Log in through your institution

If your organization uses OpenAthens, you can log in using your OpenAthens username and password. To check if your institution is supported, please see this list. Contact your library for more details.

Purchase access

You may purchase access to this article. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one.

Offer Reprints

PreviousNext
Back to top

Advertising Disclaimer »

In this issue

Pediatrics
Vol. 111, Issue 1
1 Jan 2003
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author
View this article with LENS
PreviousNext
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on American Academy of Pediatrics.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Age at Menarche and Racial Comparisons in US Girls
(Your Name) has sent you a message from American Academy of Pediatrics
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the American Academy of Pediatrics web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Request Permissions
Article Alerts
Log in
You will be redirected to aap.org to login or to create your account.
Or Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Citation Tools
Age at Menarche and Racial Comparisons in US Girls
William Cameron Chumlea, Christine M. Schubert, Alex F. Roche, Howard E. Kulin, Peter A. Lee, John H. Himes, Shumei S. Sun
Pediatrics Jan 2003, 111 (1) 110-113; DOI: 10.1542/peds.111.1.110

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Age at Menarche and Racial Comparisons in US Girls
William Cameron Chumlea, Christine M. Schubert, Alex F. Roche, Howard E. Kulin, Peter A. Lee, John H. Himes, Shumei S. Sun
Pediatrics Jan 2003, 111 (1) 110-113; DOI: 10.1542/peds.111.1.110
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Print
Download PDF
Insight Alerts
  • Table of Contents

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • METHODS
    • RESULTS
    • DISCUSSION
    • CONCLUSION
    • Acknowledgments
    • REFERENCES
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • A longitudinal analysis of puberty-related cortical development
  • Associations between sexual habits, menstrual hygiene practices, demographics and the vaginal microbiome as revealed by Bayesian network analysis
  • Disparities in the Context of Opportunities for Cancer Prevention in Early Life
  • Milk Consumption after Age 9 Years Does Not Predict Age at Menarche
  • Associations between Estrogen Receptor-Negative Breast Cancer and Timing of Reproductive Events Differ between African American and European American Women
  • Fat and lean BMI reference curves in children and adolescents and their utility in identifying excess adiposity compared with BMI and percentage body fat
  • Menstrual Disorders
  • Period problems: disorders of menstruation in adolescents
  • Menarchal Timing in Type 1 Diabetes Through the Last 4 Decades
  • The impact of menstruation in adolescents with disabilities related to cerebral palsy
  • The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Consensus Statement on periodic health evaluation of elite athletes March 2009
  • Thelarche, Pubarche, and Menarche Attainment in Children With Normal and Elevated Body Mass Index
  • Menstruation in Girls and Adolescents: Using the Menstrual Cycle as a Vital Sign
  • Age at menarche and adult BMI in the Aberdeen Children of the 1950s Cohort Study
  • Economic, Racial, and Cultural Influences on the Growth and Maturation of Children
  • Navigating Recent Articles on Girls' Puberty: Where Should Our Patients Go for Evaluation?
  • Fifty-year trends in serial body mass index during adolescence in girls: the Fels Longitudinal Study
  • Navigating the Recent Articles on Girls' Puberty in Pediatrics: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go from Here?
  • Timing of Puberty in US Girls
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Retinopathy of Prematurity Screening
  • Phenobarbital and Clonidine as Secondary Medications for Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome
  • Severe Acute Neurologic Involvement in Children With Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome
Show more Articles

Similar Articles

Subjects

  • Adolescent Health/Medicine
    • Adolescent Health/Medicine
  • Journal Info
  • Editorial Board
  • Editorial Policies
  • Overview
  • Licensing Information
  • Authors/Reviewers
  • Author Guidelines
  • Submit My Manuscript
  • Open Access
  • Reviewer Guidelines
  • Librarians
  • Institutional Subscriptions
  • Usage Stats
  • Support
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Resources
  • Media Kit
  • About
  • International Access
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • FAQ
  • AAP.org
  • shopAAP
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Instagram
  • Visit American Academy of Pediatrics on Facebook
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Twitter
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Youtube
  • RSS
American Academy of Pediatrics

© 2021 American Academy of Pediatrics