Abstract

Menarche is a female’s first menstrual period and a landmark event for females during puberty. Historically, menarche has been thought of as a time when women were “unclean.” However, cultural acceptance and scientific knowledge of menarche has greatly increased. Menarche occurs as part of the typical progression of puberty caused by rises in luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and estrogen. The achievement of menstruation is associated with reproductive capability. Menarche that occurs earlier or later than expected should be evaluated by an experienced clinician and may signal a serious underlying problem. Currently, researchers are evaluating whether menarche is occurring earlier than in years past. An area of concern is whether environmental chemicals are affecting the timing of puberty.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2014

Notes/Citation Information

Published in Dynamics of Human Health, v. 1, no. 2.

Per publisher: "You can use articles and share them with others, with appropriate credit, but you can’t use the articles commercially or change them in any way."

Included in

Pediatrics Commons

Share

COinS