Glynn, J. R., Kayuni, N., Gondwe, L., Price, A. J. and Crampin, A. C. (2014) Earlier menarche is associated with a higher prevalence of Herpes simplex type-2 (HSV-2) in young women in rural Malawi. eLife, 3, e01604. (doi: 10.7554/eLife.01604.001) (PMID:24473074) (PMCID:PMC3901398)
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Abstract
Remarkably little is known about associations between age at menarche and sexually transmitted infections, although girls with earlier menarche tend to have earlier sexual debut and school drop-out, so an association might be expected. In a population-based survey of >3000 women aged 15–30 in northern Malawi we show that those with earlier menarche had earlier sexual debut, earlier marriage and were more often Herpes simplex type-2 (HSV-2) positive. Compared to those with menarche aged <14, the age-adjusted odds ratios for HSV-2 were 0.89 (95%CI 0.71–1.1), 0.71 (0.57–0.89) and 0.69 (0.54–0.89) for menarche aged 14, 15 and 16+ respectively. This association persisted after adjusting for socio-economic factors, including schooling, and for sexual behaviour. No such association was seen with HIV infection, which is much less common and less uniformly distributed than HSV-2 in this population. The extra vulnerability of girls with earlier menarche needs to be recognised.
Item Type: | Articles |
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Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Crampin, Professor Mia |
Authors: | Glynn, J. R., Kayuni, N., Gondwe, L., Price, A. J., and Crampin, A. C. |
College/School: | College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Public Health |
Journal Name: | eLife |
Publisher: | eLife Sciences Publications |
ISSN: | 2050-084X |
ISSN (Online): | 2050-084X |
Copyright Holders: | Copyright © 2014 Glynn et al. |
First Published: | First published in eLife 3:e01604 |
Publisher Policy: | Reproduced under a Creative Commons License |
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