Eating Disorder or Menopause?
TW: Numbers related to weight and BMI, but vague numbers.
I'm in a weird spot. I'm almost 50 and have been having symptoms of perimenopause for maybe 4-5 years but have had periods like clockwork. I've also had one eating disorder or another since I was very young (like 6 or 7) but never lost my period - mostly bulimia/binging so was never really UW. A few years ago I had an orthorexic phase where I lost about 15% of my body weight and was at the border of UW/"Normal" BMI. I had gained some of this back, but about 4 months ago I had some health issues and lost another significant chunk of weight, got hooked on restriction, and now am firmly in UW territory - the lowest I've weighed in my adult life.
I haven't had a period for 3 months, but I'm not sure if that just menopause given my age? Definitely have been experiencing some extreme hunger the past few weeks and have been eating more in hopes of recovering from amenorrhea (and avoiding osteoporosis etc.) but not sure if I will ever get a period back. Taking it as a good sign that losing my period scares me and is motivating recovery. Anyone have a similar experience?
Posted Aug 13, 2025, 11:34 PM UTC