Baker JH, et al. - In this pilot study, researchers examined how estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) influence eating disorder symptom change in midlife women during early perimenopause. Participants were eight women aged 42-52 in early perimenopause. For one menstrual cycle or 40-days, whichever occurred first, participants completed in-home self-assessments, which included collecting saliva samples each morning for E2 and P4 assays and completing online study questionnaires at the end of each day. Findings revealed a positive association of E2 with binge eating when P4 was high, but not when P4 was low. An inverse association of E2 with body dissatisfaction was observed when P4 was low, but it associated positively with body dissatisfaction when P4 was high. Although this work is of pilot nature, results are broadly consistent with the young adult literature implying that the impact of E2 on eating disorder symptoms is molded by P4 levels.