01/28/2026
Eating disorders aren’t just a “young woman’s issue.” More and more midlife women are struggling with disordered eating, either for the first time—or facing a quiet return of old patterns.
Perimenopause brings powerful physical, emotional, and hormonal shifts, with one of the number one complaints being a change in body composition. This can unknowingly activate behaviours like:
Binge eating
Restrictive dieting
Body checking
Over-Exercising to compensate rather than to support
Research shows that hormonal fluctuations, including changes in estrogen and progesterone, can increase appetite, body dissatisfaction, and vulnerability to binge eating. Anovulatory cycles, which are common in perimenopause, show different patterns altogether—proving just how much hormones can influence behaviour.
This can be extremely frustrating and it can be hard to know what to do. Bodies change and it is extremely triggering.
There is no easy answer here, other than when we are more aware, it can help to empower us to understand what is going on. Sometimes it is also helpful to shift our focus to how we can best support our changing body, rather than feeling shame.
If this resonates, know this: your body is not betraying you—it’s just might need something a little different in the context of changing hormones. And you are absolutely worthy of that care.
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PerimenopauseSupport WomensHormoneHealth MenopauseWellness NaturopathicMedicine womenshealth menopauselikeaboss
