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.