Age at Menarche among High Altitude Bods of Ladakh (India)

Status quo data on menarche of 144 Bod girls from the Himalayan high altitude (3,514m) ranges of Ladakh (India) were anayzed by logit and probit analysis. The probit analysis was found to be slightly, but non- significantly, better than logit analysis and provided a median age at menarche of 14.07 ± 0.24 years. The slightly delayed maturation, as assessed by age at menarche, compared with the National Data, India (I.C.M.R., 1972) and some other Indian populations, has been explained as a combined effect of low oxygen pressure at high altitude, low nutritional intake and overall low socio-economic status of the population. Limited published reports from other high altitude populations support the trend of late maturation at high altitude, as compared with their respective control groups