Menopause is a biological inevitability—an ordinary stage of life that remains curiously stigmatized and misunderstood. Despite being natural and universal, the changes that accompany menopause—shifts in weight, body shape, skin elasticity, and energy—are often framed as problems to be solved rather than transitions to be supported. As a psychotherapist specializing in eating disorders and body image, I see how midlife can be a tipping point for many women, a time when unaddressed body shame collides with societal messages that glorify youth and thinness.

Menopause doesn’t just mark the end of fertility; for some, it marks the beginning—or return—of

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