Age at menarche, menstrual patterns, and menstrual characteristics in Jordanian adolescent girls

Objective: To estimate the distribution of age at menarche and investigate menstrual patterns and symptoms among adolescent Jordanian girls. Methods: Menstrual status data were collected from 596 secondary-school students from the Amman area via a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, and correlation coefficient calculations were used where appropriate, and probit analysis was applied to estimate mean +/- SD age at menarche. Results: The students' mean age was 15.7 +/- 1.5 years. Mean age at menarche was 13.1 +/- 1.1 years for those who recalled it and 12.8 +/- 1.4 years per the probit analysis. Menstruation duration was 4 to 7 days for 73.6% of the students, and it was more than 7 days for 2.2%. Mid-cycle pain was reported by 30.9% and dysmenorrhea by 37.6% of the students, 8% of whom needed to miss school 1 day per cycle. Body mass index was correlated with age at menarche (P=0.002). Conclusion: The mean age at menarche was close to that reported in studies from Europe and the USA, but it was younger than the age reported in studies from Africa. (C) 2012 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.