[Sex hormone concentrations and body dimensions of postmenopausal women as correlates of age at menarche].

The present study focused on the correlations between age at menarche and body dimensions as well as sex hormone levels in 142 postmenopausal Austrian women. Statistically significant correlations occurred between the age at menarche and levels of the sex hormones estradiol, progesterone, testosterone and androstenedione as well as several cephalic and post-cephalic length- and height dimensions. Women with a late menarche showed lower sex hormone levels and surpassed women with an early menarche in all length- and height dimensions. Regarding the circumference measures and the amount of subcutaneous fat tissue, no statistically significant correlations with the age at menarche could be observed. Nevertheless the women with an early menarche were more corpulent than women with a late menarche. The fact, that with postmenopausal women no statistically significant correlations between the amount of subcutaneous fat tissue and the age at menarche could be observed is caused by several exogenous factors, like changes in nutritional habits and less physical training in ageing women.