Worldwide Secular Trends in Age at Pubertal Onset Assessed by Breast Development Among Girls

The initial clinical sign of pubertal onset in girls is breast gland development (thelarche). Although numerous studies have used recalled age at menarche (first menstruation) to assess secular trends of pubertal timing, no systematic review has been conducted of secular trends of thelarche.

To systematically evaluate published data on pubertal timing based on age at thelarche and evaluate the change in pubertal onset in healthy girls around the world. Data Sources: A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed and Embase of all original peer-reviewed articles published in English before June 20, 2019. Study Selection: Included studies used clinical assessment of breast development in healthy girls and used adequate statistical methods, including the reporting of SEs or CIs. The quality of the articles was evaluated by assessing study design, potential sources of bias, main characteristics of the study population, and methods of statistical analysis. Data Extraction and Synthesis: In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, all articles were assessed for eligibility independently by 2 authors. Weighted regression analysis was performed using a random-effects model. Main Outcomes and Measures: Studies examining age at thelarche (development of Tanner breast stage 2) in healthy girls.