title: Birth characteristics and age at menarche: results from the dietary intervention study in children (DISC).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether birth weight, birth length, and gestational age are individually associated with age at menarche.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analyses were conducted using data from n = 278 female participants in the Dietary Intervention Study in Children (DISC). Age at menarche was prospectively collected as part of the original DISC investigation. DISC participants self-reported birth weight, birth length, and gestational age with assistance from their mothers and other records as part of the DISC06 Follow-up Study at ages 25-29. Linear regression was used to estimate the association of birth characteristics and age at menarche.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Birth weight was positively associated with age at menarche (p <or= 0.01) in multiple regression analyses after controlling for BMI-for-age percentile, race and DISC treatment group. No statistically significant relationships were detected between either length or gestational age and age at menarche.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher birth weight may be associated with a modest delay in age at menarche.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. rudereh@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: Elizabeth H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Ruder
authors.forename: Terryl J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Hartman
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Rovine
authors.forename: Joanne F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Dorgan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008572:Menarche / Q000502:physiology*; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D012044:Regression Analysis