Four novel loci for menarche were previously identified by GWA studies for adult BMI18–20; these were rs9939609 (in/near FTO, P=3.1×10−8), rs633715 (SEC16B, P=2.1×10−8), rs2002675 (TRA2B, ETV5, P=1.2×10−9) and rs2947411 (TMEM18, P=1.7×10−8). Apart from rs2002675, these menarche signals were either identical to or in tight LD (r2>0.9) with those BMI loci, and in all cases the BMI-increasing allele was associated with earlier menarche. Variants at these four loci have also been associated with childhood BMI18–20, and these findings support a likely causal effect of childhood BMI on earlier pubertal timing.
