Latest news with #CynthiaDonovan
Daily Mail
03-08-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
I just wanted to look perfect on my wedding day... but my fixation nearly robbed us of our future
It's hardly the sort of advice you expect to get from a physician: eat more, exercise less. But that's precisely what Cynthia Donovan's doctor told her she must do if she were to stand any chance of having the baby for which she and her husband of four years longed.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bride-to-Be Wanted to Look Thin at Her Wedding, but Excessive Dieting and Exercise Left Her Infertile
NEED TO KNOW Cynthia Donovan wanted to be thin for her wedding and became increasingly focused on diet and exercise as the big day approached After missing her period for years, doctors diagnosed her with hypothalamic amenorrhea at age 29 She wanted to have children, so she started eating more and exercising less, and eventually gave birth to two boysCynthia Donovan was a regular at the gym for years before her engagement. She prioritized health and fitness and had a nutrition plan to match. But after she got engaged in 2010 and the wedding date grew closer, she became increasingly focused on diet and exercise. "I started exercising more, I started eating less and cutting calories so I could look my best and have the body that I always wanted," Donovan tells PEOPLE. "And I think the wedding was a big, big motivator for me to become more disciplined." She ultimately saw results, but they came at a cost. "I was only focused on making sure I didn't eat this or ate that, and nothing got in the way of my exercise plans," Donovan says. "I look back, and I was just miserable. I wasn't even focused on the meaning of the wedding." She was also not having her period anymore. At the time, she thought it was because she had been on birth control pills for several years. She stopped — but her period did not reappear. Shortly after returning from her honeymoon, Donovan said she began a "scavenger hunt," visiting different doctors and undergoing testing to determine why her period was missing. Because she'd been taking birth control for so long (she'd gone back on it during wedding season, then stopped after she got married), she wasn't sure exactly when it disappeared. "They didn't think it was a big deal, because I wasn't trying to have babies at that particular time," she says. She was initially misdiagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and still had no period. Donovan became worried about her ability to have children someday. So she went to see a fertility specialist. "I wasn't ready for babies, but it made me ready, because I thought, what if I couldn't have them?" Donovan says. But none of the treatment options felt right, and she returned to her OBGYN, who referred her to a reproductive endocrinologist. The doctor recommended she eat more while cutting back on exercise. He eventually diagnosed Donovan with hypothalamic amenorrhea, which is when the hypothalamus — the control center of the brain — causes menstruation to stop, according to the Cleveland Clinic. "I did not like this answer, because I love to exercise, I love to eat healthy, I was a dietitian," Donovan recalls. "That's who I was, that's what I do, and you're telling me I can't do it anymore?" Donovan was 29 years old when she received the diagnosis, but she didn't immediately come to terms with it. "Finally, someone gave me an answer, but I didn't trust it at the time," she says, adding that she didn't believe she fit the typical description of a woman with HA because she didn't have an eating disorder or a low BMI. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "It doesn't fit into this little pretty box of you have to be underweight or be anorexic or an athlete," she says. "You can just be your average gym-goer, average CrossFit athlete that works out daily." "I was caught between two worlds of like, 'God, maybe I do have to change my lifestyle.' But at the same time, the rest of the world is eating less and moving more, and there's women out there that can have babies and weigh less than me," she recalls. Finally, she convinced herself to follow the doctor's dietary recommendations. "I did start to nourish my body more, eat more, even though it felt wrong for me, because I spent so much of my life trying to be healthy, and I thought by eating more, that just automatically makes you unhealthy, which is far from the truth," Donovan says. Still, she worried her efforts might not be successful. Determined to become a mom, she also started fertility treatments, including Interuterine Insemination, which was "mentally and physically exhausting." Finally, the treatments worked, and Donovan had a "beautiful, healthy pregnancy," delivering her son Brian in August 2016. "I just never thought I would experience this feeling of holding a baby in my arms. Because I would dream about this," Donovan says. "I wanted to hold this baby, I wanted to be able to breastfeed. And so I think once I started not only nourishing my body, resting it more, I think that really helped move that needle for me." Her period returned when she was 12 months postpartum, while she was breastfeeding. A few months later, Donovan conceived again, this time naturally. "I think I took like 20 pregnancy tests," she says with a laugh. Her second son, Brayden, was born in September 2018 and the boys have become "best friends." Now, the registered dietitian hosts "The Period Recovery Podcast" and hopes others will treat their periods like a vital sign. Her advice for women facing similar health challenges is to "advocate for themselves, and if they're not getting the answers that they need, to continue to seek clarity for themselves." Read the original article on People
Daily Mail
24-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Bride reveals she was left infertile after excessive dieting and exercise
Months before her wedding Cynthia Donovan decided she wanted to become the slimmest version of herself in time for the big day. The New York dietitian, who already lived a healthy lifestyle, began eating more vegetables, lean meats such as fish and chicken and started working out seven days a week, sometimes for up to three hours a day. She also began to track her food intake and made sure she did not consume more than 1,500 calories every day - significantly less than the recommended 2,400 calories needed to maintain a healthy weight. Cynthia said: 'I got engaged and thought, "I have to get into the best shape of my life". So I kicked into overdrive.' But while the dietitian managed to reach her goal weight well in time for her 2011 wedding, she realized the damage her strict diet had caused her years later. Due to the lack of healthy fat, low body weight and excessive exercise, Donovan was diagnosed with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA). FHA is described a condition that causes a woman's menstrual periods to stop due to problems with the hypothalamus - a part of the brain that regulates hormone release. If left untreated, the condition which affects 1.62 million American women, can cause infertility and other long-term health problems, including bone density loss. The now 39-year-old told Newsweek: 'I would exercise before work and then run after work. It was partly for stress relief, but I wasn't fueling my body properly, and that created even more stress physically. 'I was eating healthier and calculating my calories based on height. That's another misconception, that our bodies are just calculations.' But while she being congratulated for her physique and discipline at her wedding, Donovan's body had already begun to show signs of FHA. Initially, she thought that missing her period was a result of her discontinuing her birth control pill and as a result, decided to take it again before her wedding. 'My doctor told me it was normal post-pill amenorrhea [the absence of menstruation] and to wait three to five months. But with the wedding approaching, I went back on the pill,' she said. However, what she did not realize was that her missing menstrual cycle was far more serious and was not going to return anytime soon - a signal she would struggle with infertility. Over the next five years, Donovan and her husband continued to look for an answer as she underwent hormone therapies, supplements and acupuncture to bring back her menstrual cycle and reverse her infertility. At one point, Donovan was misdiagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome - a hormonal disorder characterized by irregular periods and ovarian cysts. She told Newsweek: 'I was told I had polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which is actually a common misdiagnosis when the real issue is hypothalamic amenorrhea.' The brain's hypothalamus is known as the command center for several bodily processes and is responsible for signaling the body to release crucial reproductive hormones such as estrogen in women. However, triggers such as excessive exercise, poor nutrition and environmental stress can cause the hypothalamus to enter 'survival mode' and stop working properly. As a result, the organ puts certain bodily processes and functions on hold such as a regular menstrual cycle so it can focus on the more important ones such as breathing. This can contribute to a hormonal imbalance in the body. Combined with a lack of healthy fat, a person becomes increasingly susceptible to developing FHA. Apart from an irregular or completely missing menstrual cycle, symptoms of FHA also include low energy, vaginal dryness, low sex drive, depression, anxiety, hair loss and headaches. Eventually, Cynthia was diagnosed with FHA and was told that she would need to start eating more and reduce her exercise if she wished to reverse her infertility. By the time she turned 30, Donovan began undergoing IVF as she continued to seek answers about her condition - but failed to conceive a child after three cycles. However, after completely scaling back her intense workouts and increasing her calorie intake, she finally became pregnant with her first son in 2016 via IVF. As Donovan continued to breastfeed her newborn while eating more calories and exercising less, her menstrual cycle returned. Three months later, she became pregnant again with her second son without medical intervention and the child was born in 2018. Talking about her her weight-loss journey for her wedding, she said: 'Do you just want to see a nice body - or a woman who lived, laughed and loved up until her special day? 'When I look at mine, I see a girl who was unhappy with her body, even though she worked her butt off. I was empty inside and on edge, because I wasn't eating enough.' After spending years recovering and reversing the damage in her body, Donovan said of her eating habits: 'You can get in shape, but it doesn't have to be extreme. It shouldn't cost you your health. I want women to feel free - not stressed - around food.'
Daily Mail
23-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
I followed a common pre-wedding trend... it made me infertile
Months before Cynthia Donovan was ready to walk down the aisle, she decided she wanted to become the slimmest version of herself. The New York dietitian, who already lived a healthy lifestyle, began eating more vegetables, lean meats such as fish and chicken and started working out seven days a week, sometimes for up to three hours a day. Donovan also began to track her food intake and made sure she did not consume more than 1,500 calories every day - significantly less than the recommended 2,400 calories needed to maintain a healthy weight. She said: 'I got engaged and thought, "I have to get into the best shape of my life". So I kicked into overdrive.' But while the dietitian managed to reach her goal weight well in time for her 2011 wedding, she realized the damage her strict diet had caused her years later. Due to the lack of healthy fat, low body weight and excessive exercise, Donovan was diagnosed with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA). FHA is described a condition that causes a woman's menstrual periods to stop due to problems with the hypothalamus - a part of the brain that regulates hormone release. If left untreated, the condition which affects 1.62 million American women, can cause infertility and other long-term health problems, including bone density loss. The now 39-year-old told Newsweek: 'I would exercise before work and then run after work. It was partly for stress relief, but I wasn't fueling my body properly, and that created even more stress physically. 'I was eating healthier and calculating my calories based on height. That's another misconception, that our bodies are just calculations.' But while she being congratulated for her physique and discipline at her wedding, Donovan's body had already begun to show signs of FHA. Initially, she thought that missing her period was a result of her discontinuing her birth control pill and as a result, decided to take it again before her wedding. 'My doctor told me it was normal post-pill amenorrhea [the absence of menstruation] and to wait three to five months. But with the wedding approaching, I went back on the pill,' she said. However, what she did not realize was that her missing menstrual cycle was far more serious and was not going to return anytime soon - a signal she would struggle with infertility. Over the next five years, Donovan and her husband continued to look for an answer as she underwent hormone therapies, supplements and acupuncture to bring back her menstrual cycle and reverse her infertility. At one point, Donovan was misdiagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome - a hormonal disorder characterized by irregular periods and ovarian cysts. She told Newsweek: 'I was told I had Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), which is actually a common misdiagnosis when the real issue is hypothalamic amenorrhea.' The brain's hypothalamus is known as the command center for several bodily processes and is responsible for signaling the body to release crucial reproductive hormones such as estrogen in women. However, triggers such as excessive exercise, poor nutrition and environmental stress can cause the hypothalamus to enter 'survival mode' and stop working properly. As a result, the organ puts certain bodily processes and functions on hold such as a regular menstrual cycle so it can focus on the more important ones such as breathing. This can contribute to a hormonal imbalance in the body. Combined with a lack of healthy fat, a person becomes increasingly susceptible to developing FHA. Apart from an irregular or completely missing menstrual cycle, symptoms of FHA also include low energy, vaginal dryness, low sex drive, depression, anxiety, hair loss and headaches. Eventually, the young New Yorker was diagnosed with FHA and was told that she would need to start eating more and reduce her exercising if she wished to reverse her infertility. By the time she turned 30, Donovan began undergoing IVF as she continued to seek answers about her condition - but failed to conceive a child after three cycles. However, after completely scaling back her intense workouts and increasing her calorie intake, she finally became pregnant with her first son in 2016 via IVF. As Donovan continued to breastfeed her newborn while eating more calories and exercising less, her menstrual cycle returned. Three months later, she became pregnant again with her second son without medical intervention and the child was born in 2018. Talking about her her weight loss journey for her wedding, she said: 'Do you just want to see a nice body - or a woman who lived, laughed and loved up until her special day? 'When I look at mine, I see a girl who was unhappy with her body, even though she worked her butt off. I was empty inside and on edge, because I wasn't eating enough.' After spending years recovering and reversing the damage in her body, Donovan said of her eating habits: 'You can get in shape, but it doesn't have to be extreme. It shouldn't cost you your health. I want women to feel free - not stressed - around food.'
Newsweek
21-06-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
Bride Spends Months Dieting for Wedding—Then Gets Devastating Diagnosis
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. For Cynthia Donovan, looking flawless on her wedding day in 2011 was a non-negotiable. But the relentless pursuit of perfection would eventually derail her health and fertility. "I got engaged and thought, 'I have to get into the best shape of my life,'" Donovan said. "So I kicked into overdrive." Prior to wedding planning, the registered dietitian from New York, already led a health-conscious lifestyle. She ate clean—plenty of vegetables and lean meats—and worked out five days a week. But once a ring was on her finger, she amped up her regimen: exercising seven days a week, sometimes for up to three hours a day. "I would exercise before work and then run after work. It was partly for stress relief, but I wasn't fueling my body properly, and that created even more stress physically," she said. She began tracking everything and wouldn't eat more than 1,500 calories. The now 39-year-old told Newsweek: "I was eating healthier and calculating my calories based on height. That's another misconception, that our bodies are just calculations." Despite being praised by others for her discipline and physique, Donovan's body was showing signs of distress. After going off birth control in hopes of checking her fertility, her period didn't return. "My doctor told me it was normal post-pill amenorrhea and to wait three to five months. But with the wedding approaching, I went back on the pill," she said. "What I didn't realize was that my period wasn't going to come back any time soon." That decision led to a grueling five-year journey of misdiagnoses, hormone therapies, supplements, acupuncture, and mounting frustration. She told Newsweek: "I was told I had Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), which is actually a common misdiagnosis when the real issue is hypothalamic amenorrhea." What Is Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea? Donovan was eventually diagnosed with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA), which typically falls into three categories based on its underlying cause, according to the Mayo Clinic: weight loss-related, stress-related, and exercise-related. It is estimated to affect around 1.62 million women in the United States. "The condition results in low estrogen and high cortisol levels along with other endocrine pathways disrupted, including thyroid and hormones in the gut such as ghrelin," Dr. Chrisandra Shufelt, a professor and chair of the Division of General Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, told Newsweek. "FHA is also a form of infertility, albeit reversible once the condition reverses." Shufelt, a certified menopause practitioner with fellowship training in vascular biology and women's health, confirmed it is common for women with this condition to be diagnosed with PCOS. "PCOS is another common cause of secondary amenorrhea, also about 30-35 percent of cases. Women with FHA are often misdiagnosed as having polycystic ovarian syndrome; however, PCOS is associated with high testosterone and higher body mass index, as opposed to FHA," she said. Donovan's Journey to Motherhood "I was mad. The diagnosis didn't make sense to me," Donovan told Newsweek. At 30, she began fertility treatment. After three failed rounds of IVF, Donovan finally conceived on the fourth, only after fully scaling back workouts and increasing her calorie intake. Her first son was born in 2016. After breastfeeding for 18 months, and following the advice to eat more and exercise less, her period naturally returned—and just three months later, she became pregnant again without medical intervention. Her second child was born in 2018. L: Cynthia Donovan taking a photo of her baby bump. R: Donovan with her two sons, 9 and 6. L: Cynthia Donovan taking a photo of her baby bump. R: Donovan with her two sons, 9 and 6. Cynthia Donovan Looking back at her wedding photos brings mixed emotions. "Do you just want to see a nice body—or a woman who lived, laughed and loved up until her special day?" she asked. "When I look at mine, I see a girl who was unhappy with her body, even though she worked her butt off. I was empty inside and on edge, because I wasn't eating enough." The experience changed her both personally and professionally. In 2019, Donovan decided to specialize in hypothalamic amenorrhea and launched her own business, @ on Instagram in 2020 to help women reclaim their health and fertility. "The financial cost was mostly covered by insurance, but the time, stress, lab work, and emotional toll were enormous," she said. Today, she eats intuitively and exercises moderately. "You can get in shape, but it doesn't have to be extreme. It shouldn't cost you your health," Donovan said. "I want women to feel free—not stressed—around food." Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Let us know via health@ We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
