According to a new study, younger generations are having their first period earlier and the length of time it takes to get regular is changing – which could indicate health problems later on, CNN reports.
An early period can raise problems. Photo: Archive
“Among people born between 1950 and 2005, we found that younger generations had their first period earlier, and the time it took for periods to become regular also increased,” said the study's lead author, Dr. Zifan Wang, a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University's TH Chan School of Public Health.
The study, which was published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open, analyzed data from more than 70,000 participants who answered surveys in the Apple Women's Health Study, which is a long-term study of menstrual cycles using data from the app mobile Apple Health.
The data was collected digitally, relying on people reporting information based on their memories of early menstruation and thus limiting the results, Wang said. But other research has documented a trend for first menstrual cycles to occur at younger ages over time.
In the latest study, the researchers compared trends in the ages at which menses first appeared and how long it took for them to become regular by age group, Wang said. They found that for people from racial and ethnic minority groups and/or with lower socioeconomic status, the trends were even more pronounced.
“This is important because early menarche and irregular periods can signal physical and psychosocial problems later in life,” said Wang, “and these trends may contribute to increasing negative health outcomes and disparities in the US.”
“A Vital Sign”
Menstruation is like a vital sign, said Dr. Eve Feinberg, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. She was not involved in the research.
“You want to make sure the body is okay”, Feinberg said. “And when cycles are irregular, it's generally a sign that something else might be going on.”
Scientists and medical professionals already know that early periods and a longer time to regulate cycles are associated with negative health effects, including cardiovascular disease and cancer, Wang said.
As young women have irregular menstrual cycles, the longer they may be exposed to an imbalance between two important hormones: estrogen and progesterone, Feinberg said.
Estrogen heralds development, while progesterone signals the cessation of that development, she added.
In theory, longer exposures to estrogen without a good balance of progesterone could contribute to an increase in endometrial cancers and fertility problems in the future, she said.
And an early period itself can raise problems, Feinberg added.
For an 8-year-old going through puberty, there's often a disconnect between mental and physical age, she said.
Why are these menstruation trends changing?
Earlier menstruation could be associated with a high body mass index during childhood, Wang said.
“This implies that childhood obesity, which has been on the rise in the US, could be contributing to young women menstruating earlierWang added.
Other environmental factors, such as diet or the prevalence of microplastics, could also be the cause, Feinberg said, adding that further investigation is needed.
Further investigation may help doctors provide better advice about menstruation and recognize the impact on their patients' health, said one of the study's principal investigators, Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, an assistant professor at Harvard's TH Chan School of Public Health.
