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Apr 23, 2019Keywords:
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Is menarche really occurring earlier? A study of secondary school girls in Ile‑Ife, Nigeria
Abstract
Context: A secular trend of progressively earlier attainment of menarche has been described in various populations. The existence of this trend in Ile‑Ife, Nigeria, has not been documented.
Aim: To determine the current age of menarche and its trend in comparison with previous studies among secondary school girls in Ile‑Ife, Nigeria. Settings and Design: School‑based cross‑sectional analytical study.
Materials and Methods: Three‑hundred secondary school girls in the lower four classes (JSS 1‑‑SSS 1) were studied. Sociodemographic and menstrual data such as cycle length, duration of menstrual flow, and presence of dysmenorrhoea were obtained using a structured self‑administered questionnaire. The mean age at menarche was compared with figures from previous local studies to determine the trend in Ile‑Ife. Menstrual characteristics were also analyzed. Statistical Analysis: Data was analyzed with SPSS version 20. Means and standard deviations were generated for continuous variables, while frequencies and proportions were determined for categorical variables.
Results: Out of the 300 subjects studied, a total of 198 (66%) had attained menarche at the time of this study. Their reported ages at menarche ranged from 11 to 17 years with a mean of 13.08 ± 1.61 years. This was lower than the 13.98 ± 1.30 and 13.94 ± 1.31 years reported in Ile‑Ife in 1992 and 1997, respectively. These three figures show a trend of progressive decline in the mean age at menarche. The subjects’ mean duration of menstrual flow was 4.26 ± 0.87 days, with 97.5% of them reporting flow of ≤5 days. Only 22 (11.1%) of the respondents had a cycle length of 28 days. Dysmenorrhoea was reported by 75% of the respondents and 24% reported loss of concentration during periods.
Conclusion: Similar to the widely reported secular trend, menarche indeed appears to be occurring progressively earlier in Ile‑Ife, Nigeria.
Key words: Adolescence; menarche; menstruation; Nigeria; puberty
