“Is This Normal?” Parental Concerns on Early Menarche: A Scoping Review

Purpose of the Review: Early menarche is recognised as a major apprehension, with associated psychosocial issues among girls and increased anxiety in parents. Although much has been presented on the biomedical aspects of such conditions, there is a lack of understanding about parental concerns, lived experiences, and attitudes in various sociocultural settings. The purpose of the proposed scoping review is to synthesise available evidence regarding parental concerns, attitudes, and experiences associated with early puberty and menarche in girls with a specific focus on psychological, cultural, and social determinants. Collection and Analysis of Data: The review followed a PRISMA-ScR framework and the Arksey and O’Malley framework, which was further developed by Levac et al. It undertook a detailed systematic search in PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, and EBSCOhost, along with citation tracking. Peer-reviewed articles on the parental views on early puberty or menarche published between 2010 and 2025 were considered. Starting with 1,446 unique records, 22 studies were included according to the inclusion criteria. A standardised charting form was used to extract the data, which were subsequently thematically synthesised. The findings showed that in several settings, such as South Korea, Japan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, sub-Saharan Africa, Bangladesh, Ghana, and Indigenous North America, parents always reported high levels of anxiety, reliance on inaccurate information, stigma around menarche, and a strong demand for both medical and psychosocial interventions. Conclusions: Parental anxiety about early menarche is multidimensional and influenced by psychological distress, cultural traditions, lack of education, and healthcare services. These results demonstrate the relevance of interventions that are inclusive, culturally sensitive, and parent-centred to help the families in this developmental transition.