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Association between age at menarche and autistic traits in Turkish university students
Author(s) -
Hergüner Arzu,
Hergüner Sabri
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
american journal of human biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.559
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1520-6300
pISSN - 1042-0533
DOI - 10.1002/ajhb.22739
Subject(s) - menarche , autism , turkish , psychology , developmental psychology , autistic traits , association (psychology) , autism spectrum disorder , clinical psychology , androgen , digit ratio , testosterone (patch) , medicine , endocrinology , linguistics , philosophy , hormone , psychotherapist
Objectives The androgen theory of autism suggests that masculinizing effect of fetal androgens may play a role in the expression of autism. Recent evidence showed that excessive prenatal androgen exposure might delay age at menarche (AAM). The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between autistic traits and AAM in a sample of nonclinical female university students. Methods Autistic traits were measured using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), and AAM was questioned by retrospective self‐reports. The AQ was completed by 436 female university students. Results There were significant positive correlations between AAM and AQ total and subscales measuring Social Skills, Communication, and Imagination. Subjects with above average autistic traits reported later AAM than subjects with below average autistic traits. Conclusion These findings suggest that there may be a common developmental mechanism between delayed menarche and autistic traits, possibly through elevated levels of prenatal androgens. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:44–47, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.