OBJECTIVE: No published studies, to our knowledge, have examined the association of menopausal status with eating disorders and body image in women. We assessed these associations in a large sample of middle-aged women. METHOD: We administered an anonymous questionnaire to a randomly selected nonclinical sample of women aged 40-60 in Innsbruck, Austria. The questionnaire covered demographic items, menopausal status, weight history, measures of body image, and current eating disorders as diagnosed by DSM-IV criteria. Using modified WHO criteria, we classified the respondents' current stage of menopausal transition as premenopausal (N = 192), perimenopausal (N = 110), or naturally postmenopausal (N = 134). In a separate analysis, we also examined the small group of women with surgically induced menopause (N = 12). RESULTS: The three groups were similar in all demographic features except age, and did not differ significantly on current body mass index (BMI), weight-control behaviors, or dieting history after age adjustment. However, perimenopausal women reported a significantly greater prevalence of eating disorders as compared to premenopausal women. Perimenopausal women also reported significantly higher self-ratings of "feeling fat" and higher Body Shape Questionnaire scores than premenopausal women. Women with surgically induced menopause also showed an elevated prevalence of eating and body image pathology. DISCUSSION: Our data suggest that the menopausal transition is associated with an increased prevalence of eating disorders and negative body image. Menopause, like puberty, may perhaps represent a window of vulnerability to these conditions, likely because of changes in hormonal function, body composition, and conceptions of womanhood.
OBJECTIVE: No published studies, to our knowledge, have examined the association of menopausal status with eating disorders and body image in women. We assessed these associations in a large sample of middle-aged women. METHOD: We administered an anonymous questionnaire to a randomly selected nonclinical sample of women aged 40-60 in Innsbruck, Austria. The questionnaire covered demographic items, menopausal status, weight history, measures of body image, and current eating disorders as diagnosed by DSM-IV criteria. Using modified WHO criteria, we classified the respondents' current stage of menopausal transition as premenopausal (N = 192), perimenopausal (N = 110), or naturally postmenopausal (N = 134). In a separate analysis, we also examined the small group of women with surgically induced menopause (N = 12). RESULTS: The three groups were similar in all demographic features except age, and did not differ significantly on current body mass index (BMI), weight-control behaviors, or dieting history after age adjustment. However, perimenopausal women reported a significantly greater prevalence of eating disorders as compared to premenopausal women. Perimenopausal women also reported significantly higher self-ratings of "feeling fat" and higher Body Shape Questionnaire scores than premenopausal women. Women with surgically induced menopause also showed an elevated prevalence of eating and body image pathology. DISCUSSION: Our data suggest that the menopausal transition is associated with an increased prevalence of eating disorders and negative body image. Menopause, like puberty, may perhaps represent a window of vulnerability to these conditions, likely because of changes in hormonal function, body composition, and conceptions of womanhood.
Authors: Kristen M Culbert; S Marc Breedlove; Cheryl L Sisk; Pamela K Keel; Michael C Neale; Steven M Boker; S Alexandra Burt; Kelly L Klump Journal: Behav Neurosci Date: 2015-02 Impact factor: 1.912
Authors: Jessica H Baker; Claire M Peterson; Laura M Thornton; Kimberly A Brownley; Cynthia M Bulik; Susan S Girdler; Marsha D Marcus; Joyce T Bromberger Journal: Eur Eat Disord Rev Date: 2017-03-09
Authors: Savannah C Hooper; Victoria B Marshall; Carolyn B Becker; Andrea Z LaCroix; Pamela K Keel; Lisa S Kilpela Journal: Menopause Date: 2022-06-01 Impact factor: 3.310
Authors: Katherine Schaumberg; Elisabeth Welch; Lauren Breithaupt; Christopher Hübel; Jessica H Baker; Melissa A Munn-Chernoff; Zeynep Yilmaz; Stefan Ehrlich; Linda Mustelin; Ata Ghaderi; Andrew J Hardaway; Emily C Bulik-Sullivan; Anna M Hedman; Andreas Jangmo; Ida A K Nilsson; Camilla Wiklund; Shuyang Yao; Maria Seidel; Cynthia M Bulik Journal: Eur Eat Disord Rev Date: 2017-10-02