Association between age at menarche and metabolic syndrome in southwest Iran: A population-based case-control study

Age at menarche affects women’s health outcomes and could be a risk factor for some diseases such as Metabolic Syndrome. We assessed the association between age at menarche and metabolic syndrome components in women aged 35 to 70 in Hoveyzeh, southwest Iran. Study Design: A case-control study

This case-control study was conducted on 5830 women 35 to 70 years in the Hoveyzeh cohort study (HCS), a part of the PERSIAN cohort study, between 2016 and 2018. The case group was women with MetS, while the controls were women without MetS. Metabolic syndrome is determined based on standard NCEP-ATP III criteria. Data from demographic, socioeconomic, and reproductive history were gathered face to face through trained interviews. Also, lab, anthropometrics, and blood pressure measurements were assayed for participants. Multiple Logistic Regression was used to estimate the association between age at menarche and metabolic syndrome, with adjustment for potential confounding variables.

The mean age at menarche was 12.60 ± 1.76 years old. Urban and rural women differed in their age at menarche (12.58±1.71 and 12.63±1.83 years, respectively). A comparison of the four menarche age groups (≤10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16 years) was statistically different between age at menarche and MetS. The odds of having metabolic syndrome for groups with menarche ages 13-14 years and 16-15 years, compared to women with a menstrual age ≤10 years, decreased by 21% and 20%, respectively.

The present study showed the effect of age at menarche on the odds of having MetS in women 35-70.