Mean age at menopause and menarche in South Africa.

Abstract

Mean age of menopause of 744 Whites and 1319 Bantu with differing rates of cancer of the uterus were compared in a survey of the Johannesburg hospital patients. For the former group the mean age was 51.44 while for the latter it was 50.70. The difference was significant at the 5% level. Another survey of 4838 Bantu urban school girls was made to establish whether nutrition affects the mean age at menarche. The two groups of poor versus average nutritional status did not significantly differ in terms of the mean age of the menarche.