A new study has found that black babies start menstruating earlier

For half of the world’s population, puberty and hormonal changes within the body mark the start of menstruation. For many ladies, starting their period is a rite of passage that often happens around middle school, but for some, especially children of color, the cycle may begin much earlier.

According to a new study published in CAVITYmenarche – menarche – appears earlier and earlier in subsequent generations, starting within the Nineteen Fifties. The researchers analyzed data collected from 71,341 U.S. women born between 1950 and 2005. They observed “significant” trends toward earlier menarche in non-Hispanic black, Asian and mixed-race people compared with non-Hispanic white people.

“This is important because early menarche and irregular periods can signal physical and psychosocial problems later in life,” said lead creator Dr. Zifan Wang, a postdoctoral research associate at Harvard University. CNN in regards to the results of the study.

“These trends,” he added, “may contribute to increasing adverse health outcomes and disparities in the U.S.”

The study, released in the ultimate days of Menstrual Health Awareness Month, found that early menarche is related to an increased risk of antagonistic health outcomes, including heart disease, cancer, spontaneous abortion and premature death. The results also indicate that this trend is related to lower socioeconomic status and high body mass index.

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“This means that childhood obesity, which is on the rise in the U.S., may be contributing to earlier onset of periods,” Wang told CNN.

The study authors found that a high BMI at menarche explained only 46% of the story, while the remaining 54% remained “unclear.” Noting that more research is required, they suggest that environment, nutrition and even systemic racism could possibly be potential aspects. They strongly oppose any notion that genetics are involved.

“These differences are unlikely to be attributable to genetic changes, suggesting that they may be due to other environmental or contextual factors that, through racism, may influence different pathways to lead to earlier menarche,” the authors wrote.

As more children start menstruating at younger ages, it becomes more urgent to create movements to finish period poverty and the stigma around periods. Sabrina Natasha Browne z Flow Initiative claims that one technique to influence change is to discuss it.