Confirmation Regarding Delayed and Early Menarche in Female during Adolescence Based on Delayed Menarche Evaluation System

Relation to Custom Condition of Sports Activities

Abstract

　In this study Fujii established a system to evaluate delayed menarche in female athletes, then, the delayed menarche evaluation chart was applied to general female high school students, and the delayed menarche and the exercise status was investigated in detail. The menstruation status after menarche was also analyzed. The control group consisted of 209 girls from Tokai region who had little experience of regular training. A further 106 general high school girls from the same region were selected. The girls completed a questionnaire survey on age at menarche and exercise status. The general high school girls were also surveyed with regard to menstrual status after menarche. The health examination records of these girls were examined, and longitudinal measurements of height and weight were obtained. As the results, the number of general high school girls judged to have delayed menarche was found to be greater than usual, and it was found that the girls judged to have delayed menarche had in fact participated in regular exercise around the time of menarche. This suggests the possibility that delayed menarche is induced by the physical and mental stress of regular exercise. It was also found that more than half of girls judged to have delayed menarche have experienced menstrual irregularity or dysmenorrhea. This is the first study to obtain such findings, which suggest that the occurrence of delayed menarche may lead to menstrual abnormality. Therefore, if there is strong physical and mental stress around the time of menarche, delayed menarche may develop into menstrual disorders and trigger physiological risk in girls. Sufficient awareness of this possibility is needed in education.