Age at menarche and pregnancy‐related pelvic pain

Aim Menarcheal age is a predictor of several complications related to pregnancy and diseases later in life. We aimed to study if menarcheal age is a risk factor for pregnancy‐related pelvic pain. Material and Methods A nested case–control study was conducted within the D anish N ational B irth C ohort, a cohort of pregnant women, recruited during 1996–2002, and their children. In the second trimester of pregnancy the women provided information about age at menarche and potential confounders. Selection of cases ( n  = 2227) was based on self‐reported pelvic pain during pregnancy from an interview done 6 months post‐partum. The controls ( n  = 2588) were randomly selected among women who did not report pelvic pain. We used logistic regression analysis to calculate odds ratios ( OR ) for pregnancy‐related pelvic pain according to age at menarche. Results In the cohort, 18.5% of all pregnant women reported pregnancy‐related pelvic pain. Compared to women who were 12–14 years old at menarche, the adjusted OR for overall pelvic pain were 1.4 (95% confidence interval [ CI ] 1.1–1.7) in women 11 years or younger and 0.8 (95% CI 0.6–0.9) in women 15 years or older. The corresponding adjusted OR for severe pelvic pain were 1.6 (95% CI 1.3–2.0) and 0.7 (95% CI 0.6–0.9). When age was analyzed as a continuous variable, the odds for overall and severe pelvic pain decreased with 14% and 16%, respectively, for each increasing year. Conclusions The risk of pregnancy‐related pelvic pain decreased with increasing menarcheal age in an ‘exposure‐response’ pattern. A low menarcheal age is a risk indicator and may be a risk factor for pregnancy‐related pelvic pain.