Age at Menarche and Depressive Symptoms Among Postmenopausal Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Age at menarche has been associated with several health outcomes later in life; however, its relationship with depressive symptoms after menopause remains unclear. This study evaluated the association between age at menarche and depressive symptoms in postmenopausal women. We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study of 378 postmenopausal women attending a tertiary care hospital in Mexico City, Mexico. Age at menarche was self-reported and categorized as <12, 12–14, or ≥15 years. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the seven-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-7). We estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using Poisson regression models with robust variance and assessed nonlinearity using restricted cubic splines. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 37.6%. Compared with menarche at 12–14 years, early and late menarche were associated with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms (PR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.06–1.88; and PR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.13–2.28, respectively). Restricted cubic splines showed a nonlinear association (p for nonlinearity = 0.007), with the fitted curve showing a minimum near age 12 years, although the precise location of this minimum was uncertain. Both early and late menarche were associated with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms among postmenopausal women, supporting the relevance of a life-course perspective in women’s mental health.