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Irregular periods in teens show health risk
Source: Agencies |
May 24, 2011, Tuesday
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Print Edition
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TEENAGERS who have irregular periods are more likely to be overweight and obese and to have early warning signs of diabetes and heart disease than those with regular menstrual cycles, a study said.
While the link between irregular periods and heart disease and diabetes is well-established in older women, the findings, published in "Fertility and Sterility," suggest that doctors might be able to identify this risk much earlier - and try to do something about it.
"There may be a misconception in adolescent medicine ... that it 'takes a couple of years after menarche to get the engine running' and hence one might not want to be concerned about irregular adolescent menstrual cycles until much later," said Charles Glueck, one of the study's authors, from the Cholesterol and Metabolism Center at the Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati.
"That's clearly wrong," he added, noting that even in young teenagers, very irregular menstrual cycles are not normal and should not be ignored.
Glueck and his colleagues followed 370 girls, starting at age 14, as part of a larger study initiated by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Once every year, girls were asked how long it had been since their last menstrual cycle.
Researchers also periodically measured their levels of different sex hormones, glucose and insulin, and blood pressure. They also collected information on girls' height, weight and waist circumference.
The authors defined irregular menstrual cycles as lasting more than 42 days, a criterion that's meant to catch the 2 percent of girls with the least regular periods, Glueck said.
The girls with the most reports of irregular periods were already heavier than others at age 14, and gained more weight and inches on their waist during the study.
While the link between irregular periods and heart disease and diabetes is well-established in older women, the findings, published in "Fertility and Sterility," suggest that doctors might be able to identify this risk much earlier - and try to do something about it.
"There may be a misconception in adolescent medicine ... that it 'takes a couple of years after menarche to get the engine running' and hence one might not want to be concerned about irregular adolescent menstrual cycles until much later," said Charles Glueck, one of the study's authors, from the Cholesterol and Metabolism Center at the Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati.
"That's clearly wrong," he added, noting that even in young teenagers, very irregular menstrual cycles are not normal and should not be ignored.
Glueck and his colleagues followed 370 girls, starting at age 14, as part of a larger study initiated by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Once every year, girls were asked how long it had been since their last menstrual cycle.
Researchers also periodically measured their levels of different sex hormones, glucose and insulin, and blood pressure. They also collected information on girls' height, weight and waist circumference.
The authors defined irregular menstrual cycles as lasting more than 42 days, a criterion that's meant to catch the 2 percent of girls with the least regular periods, Glueck said.
The girls with the most reports of irregular periods were already heavier than others at age 14, and gained more weight and inches on their waist during the study.
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