Indications of younger age at menarche in Greek adolescents but with no relation to body mass index

This study aimed to present recent trends in the pubertal timing of a Greek female sample.

Data were collected retrospectively from medical records of healthy females aged 6–18 years who attended a tertiary Adolescent Friendly Health Center over a 5-year period (2016–2020) and included gestational age, birth anthropometrics, and age of thelarche and/or pubarche and/or menarche, along with corresponding anthropometric, hormonal, and biochemical measurements.

Data from 298 girls’ medical records were included in the analysis. Median age at menarche, thelarche, and pubarche was 12, 9, and 9 years, respectively. The mean interval between pubertal onset and menarche was 1.99 years. The mean body mass index (BMI) at menarche and thelarche was 20.99 kg/m² and 18.90 kg/m², respectively. The mean weight at menarche was 49.6 kg, whereas the mean height difference between thelarche and menarche was 19.17 cm. Among participants, 6.3% had premature menarche, while 24.0% had premature thelarche. Birth weight was moderately correlated with BMI at thelarche/pubarche (r_s=0.334, p = 0.005). Birth weight and BMI at thelarche/pubarche were not predictive of premature menarche or premature thelarche. Median (interquartile range, IQR) levels at menarche vs. thelarche were significantly higher for insulin-like growth factor-1 [358.00 (140.50) vs. 176.00 (55.00) ng/ml], follicle stimulation hormone [5.65 (3.14) vs. 3.10 (4.23) mIU/ml], testosterone [25.50 (31.00) vs. 13.00 (21.00) ng/dl], dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate [117.00 (112.50) vs. 46.40 (51.90) µg/dl], and insulin [17.40 (15.05) vs. 8.47 (4.97) µIU/ml].

The timing of pubertal stages in the Greek female sample studied followed the recent international downward trends. Younger age at menarche was not related to BMI.