Thelarche: psychosocial aspects for gynaecology. Psychometric investigation in 533 women (author's transl)

The psychosomatic and psychosocial importance of the thelarche for gynaecology was the subject of an investigation in 533 women. Psychometrically personality traits (FPI) and intelligence level (MWT) were examined. Thelarche started the earlier the younger the women examined (p less than 0.001). Women with higher school leaving age and above-average intelligence went through thelarche earlier than those with lower school leaving age (p less than 0.01) and below-average intelligence (p less than 0.01). Breast development in the phase of puberty was observed with greater attention by younger women with higher level of education than by older women with lower level of education (roughly estimated by school leaving age and intelligence level). Thelarche was observed with greater attention by sociable, vivacious, extrovert women than by unsociable, introvert women (p less than 0.001). Women who consciously observed their breast development reported very regular cycles more often than expected (p less than 0.05) and mostly were of ideal weight (p less than 0.001). The practical importance of the thelarche experience for gynaecology manifests itself above all in the breast prophylaxis behaviour. The more attentively the women observed their breast development the more importance they attached to prophylactic medical breast examinations (p less than 0.01) and the more frequently they examined themselves (p less than 0.01) which worried them more rarely (p less than 0.05). The effect of the thelarche experience on future breast prophylaxis behaviour underlines the importance of early health education for preventive gynaecology.