Age at menarche and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose: Epidemiological studies had demonstrated that early age at menarche increased the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) shares many risk factors and features with T2DM. Thus, age at menarche may be a potential factor in the development of GDM. The aim of this study was to assess the association between age at menarche and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus.

Methods: The databases of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library were searched up to June 2017.

Results: A total of 50,535 participants from five individual studies were included in the meta-analyses to evaluate the risk of GDM. Meta-analysis showed that women with menarche at an early age (≤11 years) had a higher GDM risk than those with menarche at age ≥12 years. (OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.26-1.68; P < .00001) There was low heterogeneity among the studies (Q = 6.4; P = 0.17; I^{2 =} 38).

Conclusions: This meta-analysis demonstrated that earlier menarche was strongly associated with an increased risk of GDM. A history of early age at menarche may help identify women at high risk of GDM and allow the implementation for the strategy of early prevention.