The new menstruation: Girls are getting their periods earlier and less regularly Annalisa Merelli By Annalisa Merelli May 29, 2024

https://www.statnews.com/2024/05/29/early-menarche-jama-study-average-age-first-period/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8BhIa92jN4kT53PFFQc8d_SrZLnGgIE57t01TS1JWftOQfrpQKVLpvkCDxXhBp0im16XzUNpOoWgov5U7jKB4x8hHqoQ&_hsmi=309321752&utm_content=309321752&utm_source=hs_email Menstruation is a major indicator of both reproductive and overall health. Two new studies published in JAMA Network Open shed (no pun intended) light on how periods have changed in recent decades and what ripple effects that may have on health. One study, published yesterday, found that people in the U.S. have started getting their periods earlier and earlier over the last half-century, and it’s taking longer for menstrual cycles to become regular. Between 1950 and 1969, people typically got their first period around age 12 and a half, but between 2000 and 2005, that average dropped to just under 12 years old. It’s not just about unpleasant coming of age moments — early periods are linked to increased risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and early death. My colleague Nalis Merelli wrote about the study and why menstruation is changing. The other study, from Tuesday, analyzed mortality risk among more than 67,000 people with diagnosed premenstrual disorders in Sweden as compared to those without the disorders. Broadly, people with disorders did not have an increased risk of death overall — except for those diagnosed before age 25, who did. But there was an increased risk of death by suicide for people with these disorders, regardless of age. These disorders are often mis- or underdiagnosed, so the authors see a need for careful follow-up and suicide prevention strategies for patients. Mortality Risk Among Women With Premenstrual Disorders in Sweden https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2819066?guestAccessKey=1a4f8c26-2d71-4140-968c-473caaeb3742&utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9uohcskGOl8Wg2UYdaMNfsRTCi4wndY9IhpCqu5qw5eue22YzCeE6BeGV80M3pBbF8t4--AGM3lynPXyF9YXs_ql8xUg&_hsmi=309321752&utm_content=309321752&utm_source=hs_email Premenstrual disorders Kimberly Ann Yonkers 1, Michael K Simoni 2 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28571724/