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Mother's age at puberty influences kids' size

A new study suggests that the earlier a woman reached this milestone of puberty, called menarche, the slightly faster her children will grow.

Mothers age at puberty influences kids size

The height of the children might be linked at least partly to how old - or young - their mother was when she got her first menstrual period. A new study suggests that the earlier a woman reached this milestone of puberty, called menarche, the slightly faster her children will grow.

Growth is a complex phenomenon influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. To see if a mother's age at her first period, which is partly influenced by genes, is probably a factor in this process, researchers looked at the growth of more than 31,474 American boys and girls born between 1959 and 1966. From these children, the researchers selected two groups who were born to women who reached menarche at relative extremes: before age 12 years and after age 14 years. (Most girls tend to have their first period between the ages of 12 and 13 years of age.)

From birth through age 8 years, the two groups had small but consistent differences in height, weight and body mass index (BMI) - a measure of weight that accounts for height.

By age 8 years, children of mothers who had early periods were an average of a third of an inch taller and almost one kg heavier than children whose mothers' periods started late. Their average BMI was also slightly higher, although still within the normal range. (A third of an inch may not sound like much, but as an average in a group of this size it's a significant difference, according to the research team.) The differences held regardless of sex, race, socioeconomic status, and mother's age and size.

It was concluded that mothers' age at her first menstrual period is a predictor of their children's growth trajectory. The mechanism is likely to be heritable, although other explanations are possible.
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