Too Many Sugary Drinks Could Make Girls Get Their Periods Sooner

A recent Harvard study draws a correlation between young girls drinking higher quantities of sugary drinks and when they get their first menstrual cycles.

The study found that girls who had more than 1.5 drinks with high sugar content a day could get their first period about three months earlier than those who avoid sugary drinks. An earlier first period has been associated with higher risk of breast cancer. While three months might not make a huge difference in someone’s cancer risk, doctors say this is one more reason to avoid sugary drinks.

“This is important because when you consume a lot of sugars, sugary sodas have a very high glycemic index,” says Jill Rabin, MD, co-chief of ambulatory care and the women’s health programs –PCAP at the North Shore-LIJ Health System. “And that will make your body produce more insulin, which may make you produce more sex hormones, steroid hormones such as estrogen and that may induce an earlier first period.”

This study and subsequent conversation about girls’ first periods also sheds light on the average time when young women should be getting their first period and when they should first see an ob/gyn.

“The average age for menarche, or the first period, in the United States, is age 12 and a half,” Dr. Rabin says. “The span is from about age 11 to about age 13 and a half.”

“If an adolescent has not gotten her period by 15, that warrants investigation. And, in fact, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that if a young girl has not gotten her period by 15, she should see a gynecologist and, in fact, the best time for a young woman to see her gynecologist for the first time is age 13 to 15.”

“Now, having said that, whether she’s sexually active or not, age 13 to 15, is the best time to visit, to establish a relationship with a gynecologist. A young woman will not need a Pap test at that age and might not even need a pelvic exam. But she will establish a relationship with a gynecologist and have a breast and physical exam and to examine the outside of the vagina, called the vulva, and to discuss body changes, to discuss the menstrual cycle and to discuss what to expect during adolescence.”

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