Purpose
This study utilized data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) to explore differences in the timing of menarche in Korean girls according to blood heavy metal concentrations.
Methods
This study performed a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the sixth KNHANES. Data from 179 female children and adolescents aged 10~18 were included in this study. The relationships of blood heavy metal concentrations (lead, mercury, and cadmium) with age of menarche were analyzed using complex sample multiple logistic regression.
Results
In the participants of this study, the geometric mean values of blood lead, mercury, and cadmium concentrations were 1.15±0.04 μg/dL, 1.80±0.08 μg/L, and 0.30±0.03 μg/L, respectively. Mercury poisoning (>5 μg/L) was found in 1.5% of participants. Furthermore, significant relationships were found between blood lead and mercury concentrations and age at menarche (p for trend: p<.001 and p=.015, respectively).
Conclusion
Through an analysis of national big data, this study found evidence that Korean girls showed a younger age at menarche in response to higher blood lead and mercury concentrations. To prevent and manage precocious puberty in Korean children and adolescents, a systematic policy that monitors both exposure to environmental hazards and blood heavy metal concentrations is needed.

Citations

• Association of weight and dietary habits with high blood mercury levels in Korean adolescents: data from the KoNEHS cycle 4, 2018-2020
  Ji Hoon Kim, Minju Jung, Jaewon Mun, Dong-Jae Seo, Jong-Han Leem, Shin-Goo Park, Dong-Wook Lee, Hyung Doo Kim, Hwan-Cheol Kim
  Ann Occup Environ Med.2025; 37: e5.     CrossRef
• Association of blood metal exposure with age at menarche in Korean women: KNHANES (2008–2017)
  Suhyun Park, Inae Lee, Young Joo Park, Tae Yong Kim, Ho Kim, Kyungho Choi
  International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental.2024; 256: 114312.     CrossRef
• Effects of Blood Lead Levels <10 µg/dL in School-Age Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review
  Audrey F. Pennington, Madison R. Smith, Stella O. Chuke, Cheryl R. Cornwell, Paul B. Allwood, Joseph G. Courtney
  Pediatrics.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Exposure to metals and the disruption of sex hormones in 6–19 years old children: An exploration of mixture effects
  Xueyan Li, Xiaohan Yu, Kai Luo, Huajian Liu, Xu Fan, Xiaoming Yin, Qi Zhao, Xin Liu, Yi Yang
  Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.2023; 250: 114477.     CrossRef
• Invited Perspective: Metals and Menarche
  Anna Z. Pollack, Joanna M. Marroquin
  Environmental Health Perspectives.2023;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Age at Menarche in Urban Girls Exposed to Lead in the Copper Basin, Poland
  Aleksandra Gomula, Natalia Nowak-Szczepanska, Anna Sebastjan, Sławomir M. Kozieł, Robert M. Malina, Zofia Ignasiak
  Biology.2022; 11(4): 584.     CrossRef
• Manganese and Lead Exposure and Early Puberty Onset in Children Living near a Ferromanganese Alloy Plant
  Nathália Ribeiro dos Santos, Juliana Lima Gomes Rodrigues, Matheus de Jesus Bandeira, Ana Laura dos Santos Anjos, Cecília Freitas da Silva Araújo, Luis Fernando Fernandes Adan, José Antonio Menezes-Filho
  International Journal of Environmental Research an.2022; 19(12): 7158.     CrossRef
• Besinlerle alınan endokrin bozucuların pubertal gelişim üzerine etkisi
  Gül Eda KILINÇ, Alev KESER
  Mersin Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi.2021; 14(2): 342.     CrossRef

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to identify the influence of early menarche on sexual experience among high school girls in South Korea.
Methods
The study sample was comprised of 16,286 high school girls. Using statistics from the 11th (2015) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey, hierarchical logistic regression analysis was conducted.
Results
Among the girls, 5.8% reported early menarche. Early menarche was associated with sexual experience (Odds Ratio (OR), 5.27; 95% Confidence Interval (CI), 4.11-6.77). Controlled for sociodemographic, emotional and health behavior characteristics, early menarche was associated with sexual experience (OR, 3.98; 95% CI, 3.04-5.21).
Conclusion
The results indicate that early menarche predicts an increase in sexual experience among female adolescents. Therefore, health education programs and health policy for interventions to improve sexual health are required for girls who are expected to experience early menarche.

Citations

• Obesity-Related Factors in Adult Women with Early Menarche
  Hunha Cho, Jeong-Won Han
  Healthcare.2023; 11(4): 557.     CrossRef
• A study on the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the parenting outcome expectancy scale for parents of elementary school students
  Yoonjung Kim, Jungmin Lee, Ratchneewan Ross
  Frontiers in Psychology.2023;[Epub]     CrossRef
• The Impact Factors on Mental Health of Male and Female Korean Adolescents - Focusing on Sexual Experience: Analyzing Data from the 11th Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey
  Mijung Yeom, Gyungjoo Lee, Ju-Young Lee
  Journal of Korean Academy of psychiatric and Menta.2020; 29(3): 195.     CrossRef