Characterization of pubertal development of girls in rural Bangladesh

The study characterized pubertal development in 15,320 girls at baseline and 14,057 at follow-up in rural Bangladesh, totaling 29,377 observations. The median ages for breast development, pubic hair growth, and menarche were 11.02, 12.93, and 13.17 years, respectively. The sequence of puberty began with breast development, followed by pubic hair growth after 1.91 years, and menarche 0.24 years later. The findings indicated that rural Bangladeshi girls matured later than those in other low and middle-income countries, likely due to suboptimal nutritional and socioeconomic conditions. The study highlighted the importance of nutritional and health interventions in managing pubertal development in rural populations.