New Zealand blogger Megan Hutchison blames wedding diet for infertility

A well-known New Zealand wedding blogger has revealed how her desire to fit her wedding dress stopped her from having children.

She Said Yes blogger Megan Hutchison has, in a heartfelt post, told how dieting so she could wear a US size 2 wedding dress is why she and her husband have not been able to conceive in two years.

Hutchison said her infertility is caused by amenorrhoea, when a woman misses one or more periods, which is caused by diet and excessive exercise.

Hutchison said she had previously been too scared to share her experience, but hoped her bravery would serve as a warning to other woman who are tempted to put their vanity before their health.

In her post today, she revealed she had got her period for the first time in three years today, which was a sign her amenorrhoea was gone.

Hutchison lost weight after the death of her mother in March 2014 and stopped getting her periods. She started being treated at Greenlane Hospital for the amenorrhoea.

As she began feeling better, her appetite returned and she started to return to her normal weight.

But she had already ordered a size US2 wedding dress from LA so decided to keep dieting for another year to fit it.

"Despite medical advice to the contrary, I knowingly treated my body in such a way that it responded with an inability to have children. I ended up with amenorrhoea and infertility – for three years. The amenorrhoea ended today. Hopefully, fertility will be the next step, and Blair and I will be able to have children in the next couple of years."

Almost two years on, she is 6 or 7kg heavier than her wedding day and 10kg heavier than her lowest weight. She said her wedding dress is a reminder of what she did to her body.

She currently sees a psychologist and endocrinologist, Dr Stella Milsom, at Greenlane Hospital. Milsom is an expert and has written articles on amenorrhoea.

"It may sound ridiculous to you, but I wish I could try it on for my second wedding anniversary in a week, and sit in it while I eat the last few slices of the wedding cake still saved. But I can't. This is not a pity party. This isn't all about me, or my weight, my health, my wedding dress or just my fertility. I do not deserve anybody's pity – I freely admit how irresponsible and selfish this was," she wrote.

While the effect of following a wedding-day diet was still taking its toll on her, Hutchison told the Herald she finally decided to share her story to raise awareness around it.

"I feel like I have a responsibility to all the women who might find themselves in this position. Problems like these are all too common, as Stella Milsom's article describes, yet that was in 2011 and I don't think I've ever come across anyone else talking about this before. So, I felt I had to say something, now that I'm (hopefully, fingers crossed) recovering."