Girls with early first periods become women with greater risk of gestational diabetes

In Western societies, average age of first period has dropped from 17 to 13 years over the past century. justanotherhuman/flickr , CC BY-NC-SA

As a young girl, getting your period for the first time is a big deal. It comes with mental and social expectations around “becoming a woman” and a host of cultural practices that act to celebrate or stigmatise menstruation.

But evidence now suggests the timing of this event could also have health implications for girls who get their first period earlier than their peers.