Influence of Childhood Adversity and Infection on Timing of Menarche in a Multiethnic Sample of Women

• Main Authors: Ayana K. April-Sanders, Parisa Tehranifar, Erica Lee Argov, Shakira F. Suglia, Carmen B. Rodriguez, Jasmine A. McDonald
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: menarche; racial and ethnic minority; immigrant; early life
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/8/4080

Childhood adversities (CAs) and infections may affect the timing of reproductive development. We examined the associations of indicators of CAs and exposure to tonsillitis and infectious mononucleosis (mono) with age at menarche. A multiethnic cohort of 400 women (ages 40–64 years) reported exposure to parental maltreatment and maladjustment during childhood and any diagnosis of tonsillitis and/or mono; infections primarily acquired in early life and adolescence, respectively. We used linear and relative risk regression models to examine the associations of indicators of CAs individually and cumulatively, and history of tonsillitis/mono with an average age at menarche and early onset of menarche (<12 years of age). In multivariable models, histories of mental illness in the household (RR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.01–2.06), and tonsillitis diagnosis (RR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.20–2.33) were associated with early menarche (<12 years), and with an earlier average age at menarche by 7.1 months (95% CI: −1.15, −0.02) and 8.8 months (95% CI: −1.26, −0.20), respectively. Other adversities indicators, cumulative adversities, and mono were not statistically associated with menarcheal timing. These findings provided some support for the growing evidence that early life experiences may influence the reproductive development in girls.