Menarche is a physiological phenomenon and significant mile stone in the life of a women and the age at menarche is an indicator of racial, geographical and nutritional patterns of different societies. The aim of present study was to determine the age at menarche in Kermanshah city in the west of Iran focusing on the effect of population racial subgroups living this city.
This cross-sectional study conducted on 700 girls aged 12-15 year old's in the Kermanshah city, in the west of Iran. In this research, the age at menarche, as the main variable, was determined for each racial subgroup and compared between different variables. Statistical analyses were performed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey tests were performed to determine the statistical significance.
The average age of first menstruation was 11.85 ± 0.03-years in the Kermanshah city. This age was inversely related to body mass index (BMI), weight, wrist circumference and racial subgroups. The menarche age in this city is influenced by ethnicity, socioeconomic and climate, and has reduced in the past decade. Also, it may be stated that social well-being and nutritional standards have improved in the city.
The average age at menarche in the Kermanshah city (a cold area) is higher than warmer regions in Iran; it may be more influenced by the race than the climate.