Women who menstruate before age 11 at higher risk of gestational diabetes

Melbourne: A lot of health problems have been linked to early menstruation in numerous research studies. In a latest development, researchers including one of Indian origin, indicate that early periods could increase risk of developing gestational diabetes during pregnancy.

Analysing data from more than 4,700 women, researchers from University of Queensland in Australia found that those who had their first period at age 11 or younger were 50 per cent more likely to develop gestational diabetes than those who experienced their first period at age 13.

"This finding could mean that health professionals will start asking women when they had their first period to identify those at higher risk of gestational diabetes," said Danielle Schoenaker.

Gestational diabetes is an increasingly common pregnancy complication and can have long-lasting health consequences for mothers and their children.

Early puberty in girls has now been shown to be a significant marker for several adverse health outcomes, including gestational diabetes, said Professor Gita Mishra, Director of Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.

"A large proportion of women who develop diabetes during pregnancy are overweight or obese and encouraging those with an early start of puberty to control their weight before pregnancy may help to lower their risk of gestational diabetes," said Schoenaker.

The study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

(With PTI inputs)