Does age at menarche affect final height? A cross-sectional study of women from different socio-economic backgrounds in Samsun, Turkey

Height and age at menarche demonstrate plasticity in response to social, environmental, and economic factors. Since the end of the 20^th century, there has been a noticeable increase in height and a decrease in the age of maturation due to changing living conditions. While a relation between height and age at menarche is widely accepted, the extent of this relationship and the specific conditions that exert the greatest influence remain unclear. This study examines the relationship between age at menarche and final height in women who grew up under varying socio-economic conditions, with particular attention to those exposed to heavy workloads during childhood. The recall method was employed to gather data from 304 women aged 20-45 years regarding their age at menarche. 10 participants who could not recall their age at menarche were excluded, leaving a final sample of 294 women. To assess the impact of age at menarche on height, the distribution of menarcheal ages in the sample was analyzed, and participants were categorized into early (9-11 yrs), normal (12-14 yrs), and late (15-18 yrs) menarche groups. The mean height and menarcheal age for the sample were as follows: 1591.5 (±61.01) mm and 12.68 years (±1.36) for the upper socio-economic group; 1562.7 (±55.2) mm and 13.28 years (±1.45) for the lower socio-economic light worker group and 1543.2 (±62.5) mm and 13.36 years (±1.39) for the lower socio-economic heavy worker group. Significant differences were found across all variables (<i>p</i> < 0.010). Women with early menarche were shorter, and those with late menarche were taller, a trend that was consistent across both advantaged and disadvantaged conditions. This confirms the relationship between age at menarche and height. However, despite the influence of menarcheal age, differences in final height were more strongly associated with socio-economic factors. Consequently, the findings indicate that height demonstrates considerable plasticity in relation to socio-economic conditions and the demands of heavy physical labor.