SUMMARY
The menarche age in teenagers of the Northwest of Mexico
The beginning of sexual maturity in individuals is a measure commonly used as an indicator of a population’s quality of life. Among women, one of the most frequently used indicators is the age of menarche. The objectives of this research were to obtain the age of menarche in school age girls from the Northwest of Mexico, and to establish the relationship between the latter with their socioeconomic level, body weight, and height. The sample was taken from 857 girls between 7 and 17 years old from different socioeconomic level sectors. The age of menarche of these girls was determined by the statu quo method. The value found for menarche was 12,06 ± 0,44 years old. We also found an association of menarche to height (p < 0,01) and to socioeconomic level (p < 0,01). The value for age of menarche in this study was similar to the one reported for other Latin-American populations. Taking into consideration that approximately 70% of the Mexican population has been considered of low income level and that the environmental conditions are not entirely favorable, it is possible that this could be the result of genetic and environmental interactions.

Key words: Menarche, sexual maturity, socioeconomic level, Mexico.



Recibido: 21/12/2005
Aceptado: 02/06/2006

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