(844) 863-6700Introduction & Candace Craig’s Background
Join hosts Dr. Thais Aliabadi and Mary Alice Haney of SheMD as they welcome their special guest, Candace Craig, a talented professional dancer turned author who has made waves in both the entertainment industry and PCOS awareness. Candace’s story begins in Miami, where she first started her impressive dance career. She later moved to Los Angeles, seeking bigger opportunities and finding herself dancing alongside major artists like Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Pitbull, and Pharrell Williams. The creative energy of LA not only shaped her dance career but also sparked her interest in health and entrepreneurship.
I came from Miami. I danced for all the biggest artists you could ever imagine.
Candace’s journey has evolved far beyond the dance floor. She’s now the author of “Living with PCOS: Road to Reversal,” which features a special forward by Dr. Aliabadi, and has launched her own dance apparel line. Her transition from dancer to author and advocate showcases her dedication to raising PCOS awareness through her extensive network and platform. The episode promises valuable insights for listeners, including a simple at-home self-screening guide for PCOS symptoms. This introduction sets the stage for an in-depth discussion about PCOS, blending Candace’s personal experience with professional insights, making it particularly relevant for those searching for information about “Candace Craig PCOS story,” “dancer turned author PCOS,” “Living with PCOS Road to Reversal,” and “PCOS awareness LA dancer.”
I finally found Dr. Thais Aliabadi here in Los Angeles, and it was the most life-changing experience of my life.
The journey to a PCOS diagnosis often starts with a puzzling array of symptoms that many doctors miss or dismiss. For someone with a disciplined dance background, experiencing irregular menstrual cycles, persistent acne at age 30, mood swings, sudden weight gain, and abnormal hair growth in unexpected areas can feel especially frustrating. Despite maintaining healthy habits, these symptoms can make you feel completely out of control of your own body. Many patients face a discouraging path of multiple doctor visits where normal test results lead only to generic advice like “eat clean and work out more.”
Everything changed upon finding Dr. Thais Aliabadi in Los Angeles, whose detailed diagnostic approach finally connected all the seemingly unrelated symptoms. Dr. Aliabadi explains that PCOS can vary greatly in how it presents – some patients may be thin while others struggle with weight issues. The diagnosis requires meeting two of three specific criteria: irregular periods, polycystic-appearing ovaries on ultrasound, or elevated androgen symptoms and lab results. For many patients, getting this diagnosis brings a profound sense of validation and relief, replacing self-blame with a clear roadmap for treatment. This understanding of PCOS symptoms being misdiagnosed, the process of how PCOS is diagnosed, and the connection between irregular cycles and acne has helped countless patients find the validation and treatment they need.
Treatment Strategy: Insulin Resistance, Medications & Lifestyle
By lowering their insulin you lower their androgens… Ovulating regularly, their acne clears up. -Dr. Aliabadi
Many PCOS patients have insulin resistance, which means their bodies can’t process sugar properly. When you eat carbohydrates, your body turns them into glucose, which triggers your pancreas to release insulin. Normally, insulin helps open cell receptors so sugar can enter cells and become energy. But in PCOS, the cells don’t respond well to insulin, leaving sugar in the blood. As your body makes more insulin to fix this, the higher insulin levels cause your ovaries to produce more male hormones called androgens. These androgens lead to irregular periods, acne, male-pattern hair changes, and make it harder to maintain a healthy weight. The good news is that treating insulin resistance often helps improve all these symptoms.
Treatment usually combines medications with lifestyle changes for the best results. Doctors might prescribe insulin-sensitizing drugs and weight management medications like metformin, Saxenda, or Trulicity, depending on your needs. Along with medicine, making better food choices, exercising regularly, and managing stress all play important roles in getting better. Most people start seeing positive changes after about a month of treatment, with major improvements showing up around the four-month mark. These improvements often include weight loss, more regular periods, clearer skin, and healthier hair. Your doctor will work with you to create a personal treatment plan that looks at all your symptoms and gets adjusted based on how you respond. The key is addressing insulin resistance first since getting insulin levels under control helps improve many other PCOS symptoms naturally. Remember that everyone responds differently to treatment, so what works for one person might need tweaking for another.
Fertility, Egg Freezing & Insurance Challenges
PCOS is the top cause of infertility on the planet. It affects 15% of women. -Dr. Aliabadi
Dr. Aliabadi explains that irregular cycles in PCOS often mean irregular ovulation, making conception more challenging. Some patients might go months without having a period, which significantly impacts their fertility journey. What makes this especially tricky is that seeing many eggs on an ultrasound can give false reassurance. While PCOS patients typically have plenty of eggs, Dr. Aliabadi cautions that their egg quality might decline faster than expected, despite high follicle counts showing up in tests.
Because of these factors, doctors often suggest that PCOS patients think about freezing their eggs earlier than most women, usually in their late twenties or early thirties if they don’t have a partner yet. However, this brings up significant financial challenges since egg freezing and other fertility services like IVF are rarely covered by insurance, except for employees at some large tech companies. While basic PCOS medications like metformin and birth control are usually covered, the more expensive treatments often aren’t. Insurance coverage for newer treatments, such as GLP-1 medications for weight management, varies depending on the plan and BMI criteria. The costs can be staggering – for instance, a single IVF cycle might cost $36,000, creating real barriers for many women seeking fertility treatment. This situation highlights the urgent need to treat PCOS and fertility support as essential aspects of women’s health care, rather than optional extras. For those researching this topic online, common search terms include “PCOS fertility risks,” “should I freeze my eggs PCOS,” “insurance coverage for fertility,” and “PCOS and ovulation.”
Advocacy, Social Reach & Tools — Book and Calculator
The best thing I can do as a physician is to empower my patients to diagnose themselves at home. -Dr. Aliabadi
Social media has become a powerful tool in spreading PCOS awareness, with over 3 million followers now engaged in learning about and discussing PCOS. What started as a dance-focused following has transformed into a vibrant community where women share their PCOS experiences and find support. This growing platform has enabled direct advocacy work, including speaking to Congress alongside the PCOS Association to push for better insurance coverage and increased funding for women’s health initiatives. The impact has been remarkable, with more messages now coming in about PCOS than about dance-related topics, showing how crucial this awareness campaign has become.
To make PCOS diagnosis more accessible, a new PCOS Calculator is being developed as an easy-to-use online tool where people can answer simple questions and get quick results to share with their doctors. This goes hand in hand with the book “Living with PCOS: Road to Reversal,” which offers practical guidance and expert medical input for managing PCOS symptoms. The support system continues to grow through telemedicine options, a strong doctor referral network, and an active online PCOS community. These resources, along with ongoing efforts to improve doctor education about PCOS, insurance coverage, and treatment access, are helping more people get diagnosed early and find proper care. While PCOS can’t be cured, these tools and resources make it possible to control symptoms effectively with the right support and treatment plan.
Pregnancy Journey: Timing, Medication Safety & Lifestyle
We literally said that we wanted to be pregnant this year right after our wedding… It happened 2 weeks into us trying.
Getting pregnant with PCOS requires careful planning and medical guidance. Before trying to conceive, you’ll need to stop taking weight management medications like OIC or Saxenda, though you can continue metformin until pregnancy is confirmed. Your doctor will help create a safe plan for managing medications during this time. For women with PCOS and insulin resistance, pregnancy brings special considerations. Doctors recommend glucose tolerance testing early in pregnancy and again between 24 and 28 weeks because there’s a higher risk of gestational diabetes. If blood sugar issues develop, the first step is usually dietary changes, with medications considered only if diet alone isn’t enough.
A successful pregnancy journey with PCOS combines medical care with lifestyle choices. This means focusing on wholesome nutrition with plenty of fruits and vegetables, maintaining gentle exercise, and working closely with your healthcare team. Having a supportive partner makes a big difference – someone who understands PCOS and helps maintain healthy habits. Regular check-ups, careful monitoring, and a positive mindset all contribute to a healthy pregnancy. Many women with PCOS go on to have successful pregnancies when they work with their doctors and follow recommended guidelines. The key is starting with a good plan and staying consistent with both medical care and lifestyle choices throughout the pregnancy journey.
Understanding if you have PCOS starts with knowing the three main signs. You only need two of these to suggest PCOS: irregular or missing periods, signs of high testosterone (like acne, male-pattern hair loss, or extra facial and body hair), or ovaries with many small follicles seen on ultrasound. It’s important to know that you don’t need high testosterone in your blood tests to have PCOS – visible signs are enough. If you spot these signs, it’s time to take action, but don’t worry – there’s a clear path forward.
Your next steps should start with finding the right doctor. Sometimes your primary care doctor might know more about PCOS than a specialist, so don’t be afraid to look around. When you visit, ask for key tests like insulin resistance checks, blood sugar levels, and a pelvic ultrasound. If you’re approaching 30, getting your egg count checked is wise. While waiting for medical care, you can start making helpful changes like reducing sugar intake and exercising regularly.
Track your periods and any skin changes to share with your doctor. Looking ahead, start saving for fertility care by age 25, as treatments like egg freezing might be needed by 30. Insurance coverage varies, so check your benefits during open enrollment. Remember, help is available through telehealth, PCOS support groups, and online tools like the PCOS calculator. If one doctor dismisses your concerns, keep looking – being your own health advocate means speaking up until you find the right care. With early treatment and the right support, you can manage PCOS effectively.
