menarche

American  

[muh-nahr-kee, me-] / məˈnɑr ki, mɛ- /

noun

Physiology.

1. the first menstrual period; the establishment of menstruation.

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menarche British  

/ mɛˈnɑːkɪ /

noun

1. the first occurrence of menstruation in a woman's life

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menarche Scientific  

/ mə-när′kē /

1. The first menstrual period.

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Other Word Forms

• menarcheal
  adjective
• menarchial
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of menarche

1895–1900; men- + archḗ beginning

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

menarche

Villarreal: There was so much openness that there was a menarche playlist curated by director Mike Barker.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Across the two groups, the percentage of participants who reached menstrual cycle regularity within two years of menarche decreased from 76% to 56%.

From Science Daily ● May 29, 2024

Walker explained that during adolescent development, the beginning of menarche signals the start of a growth spurt that can take up to four years to complete.

From Salon ● Nov. 14, 2022

Women with uterine cancer tended to be older with an earlier age of menarche, or onset of menstruation, a higher body mass index and lower physical activity.

From New York Times ● Oct. 17, 2022

I scheduled my periods right through December, by which time I was certain my real menarche would have finally arrived.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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