Timing of menarche, preparation, and initial menstrual experience: Replication and further analyses in a prospective study.

The goals of this study were to assess the significance of two timing variables (objective timing of menarche and subjective timing, i.e., the belief-not necessarily true-about one's status as early, average, or late maturing) and two cognitive variables (preparation for menstruation and ego functioning) as predictors of the experience of menarche. Subjects were 92 girls who changed from pre- to postmenarcheal between two test occasions, six months apart. Findings were that subjective timing of menarche and preparation were significant predictors of menarcheal experience, while objective timing and ego functioning were not. The results replicated earlier findings based on cross-sectional analyses. Interpretation of the results suggested some directions for further exploration of determinants of initial menstrual experience.