Insulin, androgen, and gonadotropin concentrations, body mass index, and waist to hip ratio in the first years after menarche in girls with regular menstrual cycles, irregular menstrual cycles, or oligomenorrhea

Data on changes in hormone concentrations during the first years after mena rche are scarce. We studied the relation between gynecological age (age min us age at menarche), hormone concentrations, and body measurements from the 1st to the 6th yr after menarche in 229 observations of girls with regular menstrual cycles, 157 observations of girls with irregular menstrual cycle s, and 104 observations of girls with oligomenorrhea. Body Mass Index, waist circumference, hip circumference, LH, androstenedion e, testosterone, and dehydro-epiandrosterone sulphate increased significant ly (linear regression, P < 0.05) by gynecological age in all menstrual cycl e pattern groups. For PRL and estradiol a significant increase with gynecol ogical age was only documented in the regular menstrual cycle group and for waist to hip ratio only in the irregular menstrual cycle group. No signifi cant correlation could be documented between gynecological age and overnigh t fasting insulin concentrations or glucose to insulin ratio. We found no significant correlation between insulin concentrations or gluco se to insulin ratio and androgen concentrations. Significant positive corre lations were found between LH and androgens. LH and androgen levels increase during the first years after menarche, and reference Values should be adjusted for gynecological age. In these years, no significant correlation between hyperinsulinemia and hyperandrogenemia c ould be documented.