'Alarming' trend of girls getting their periods younger revealed - and the frightening factors behind phenomenon READ MORE: Backlash over YouTuber's attempt to define what a woman is By Caitlin Tilley, Health Reporter For Dailymail.Com Published: 16:50 EDT, 29 May 2024 | Updated: 17:07 EDT, 29 May 2024 e-mail 4 View comments The age at which girls get their first period has decreased over the last 50 years, research has shown. Researchers from Harvard found that girls who are now aged 19 to 24 got their first period when they were 11, on average, compared to women now aged 55 to 74, who were an average age of 12 when they got their first period.
Over fifty years, there has also been a rise in the number of girls younger than nine who start menstruating. The trend could be due to rising childhood obesity , the researchers said. Previous research has linked the phenomenon to junk food consumption, chemical contamination and certain pollutants.
Menarche, which is the first time girls get their period, usually occurs between age 11 and 15, according to the Cleveland Clinic Researchers from Harvard found that girls who are now aged 19 to 24 got their first period when they age 11.9 years, on average, compared to women now aged 55 to 74, who were an average age of 12.5 years when they got their first period The researchers studied 71,341 individuals as part of the Apple Women's Health Study, which used cycle tracking data from iPhones and Apple Watches in addition to surveys to gai.
