Add into this toxic mix the huge hormonal changes and physical symptoms induced by perimenopause, and it’s not difficult to understand why a latent eating disorder might be rekindled – or why someone who’d always enjoyed a healthy relationship with their body might suddenly find themselves struggling.
And that’s missing from the menopause conversation – we understand that younger girls going through puberty don’t understand their hormones and might be struggling with body image because their body is changing.
A lot of behaviours from adolescence can return in perimenopause too; those who struggled with addictions or negative behaviours in puberty might find these bubbling back up to the surface due to hormonal imbalances they last experienced as a teenager.
Many women will notice that their body is changing, despite their eating and exercise habits remaining the same – leading to feelings of “frustration or hopelessness”, says Goldsmith.
“Awareness is really important – knowing that hormonal imbalance can have an effect on our brains, on our behaviours, on the way we process, on our relationship with food, alcohol and other things as well,” says Newson.
