Construction of Delayed Menarche Evaluation in Korean Female Athletes

Abstract

In the present study we conducted a regression analysis of age at menarche against Maximum Peak Velocity (MPV) of height in non-athlete Korean girls which was derived with the wavelet interpolation method, and composed linear to quartic regression polynomials to obtain the best regression polynomial. We then applied the age at menarche and age at MPV of height of athletes to the best polynomial regression evaluation, and investigated the validity of a delayed menarche evaluation that we constructed. Moreover, the relation between delayed menarche and menstrual status was examined by investigating delayed menarche and menstrual pain in individuals for the first time. The subjects were 124 second year female students at a physical education high school in the suburbs of Pusan, South Korea. A questionnaire survey of these girls was conducted, from which their date of birth, age at menarche, and athletic activities in elementary, junior high, and high school were obtained. In addition, health check records were examined retrospectively, and longitudinal growth data for height were obtained from the 1st year of elementary school (7 years old) until the second year of high school (17 years old). Next, the same survey as above was also done for second year students at a general high school in the same area, as a control group. Three hundred forty-five non-athletes for whom all data were available were selected. As the results, the third order polynomial was found to be most suitable for the regression polynomial. When it was applied to individual female Korean athletes with respect to the regression evaluation, positive scores were obtained for many athletes and an overall delay in menarche was seen. Delayed menarche was not seen, however, in archery athletes. A strong delay in menarche was thus found in Korean athletes. And it was shown that 80% had moderate or greater menstrual pain and a close relation with menstrual abnormalities, the effectiveness of the delayed menarche evaluation was further validated.(Jpn. J. Phys. Fitness Sports Med. 2011, 60：99-112)

Verification of delayed menarche evaluation system based on morphological differences in Korean females

“…Past research [6,16], especially endocrinological research [9,[22][23][24][25][26] has already indicated that training is a major factor in delays in menarche. Accordingly, the establishment of the delayed menarche evaluation system for Korean general females proposed by Fujii [17], at least if we consider that until some time ago no method had been established even to verify delayed menarche itself, is very significant in the sense of being able to now clearly identify delayed menarche in individuals. First of all, a mean evaluation method was applied from the mean intervals between the age at menarche and the age at MPV of height as a criterion for delayed menarche, and the delayed menarche in individual Korean general females was obtained from this evaluation method.…”

“…Moreover, the accuracy from the secondto the fourth-order polynomial was not examined in regard to the validity of the regression evaluation. Therefore, Fujii [17] verified this problem further and established the delayed menarche evaluation system.…”

“…Fujii and Demura [16] suggested that the interval between age at MPV of height and menarche decreases as the age at MPV of height becomes higher, and a regression analysis of the interval with both these characters against age at MPV of height was used to verify whether a similar interval exists in Korean girls. Then, in an attempt to evaluate delayed menarche, Fujii [17] investigated the validity of primary to tertiary regression polynomials for the regression analysis of age at menarche against age at MPV of height. A regression polynomial evaluation chart was constructed by deriving regression polynomials of the optimal order.…”

Tracking Phenomenon in Physical Development During Elementary School

“…Spline smoothing methods have also been used in the past in smoothing, but there have been problems in the validity of the functions. Fujii [7][8][9] has proposed a wavelet interpolation model that makes it possible to construct an evaluation system for physical growth pattern analysis and delayed menarche. If this can be extended further to construct an evaluation system for physical fitness and motor ability development, assessments that include consideration of BMI with age would also be possible and the tracking phenomenon for obesity or leanness into adulthood could also be assessed.…”